Scientists discovered a new species of cats after 100 years
How a "strange cat" turned out to be a new species
Ten years ago, biologist and National Geographic explorer Paula Nogales-Ascarrunz was working in Bolivia when she received a call from a local wildlife rescue center. A "strange cat" had turned up there.
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New cat alert! A call from a wildlife sanctuary about a "weird cat" has led to the first new cat species discovered in over 100 years. Smaller than an average housecat and covered in leopard-like spots, the cat species—proposed name Leopardus tilcayo—lives in Bolivia’s Yungas forest ecoregion, and very little is known about its day-to-day life in the wild. Its discovery is redrawing the branches of the cat family tree, and researchers hope the methods used to identify it could be used to find even more new cat species around the world. Learn more about this feline surprise at the ???? in bio.
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The animal was brought in by a local resident who found it as a kitten on a road near the forest. The man took it home, believing it was an unusual breed of domestic cat. However, about a year later, it became obvious that the animal was indeed wild, and the owner realized it would be better off at the rescue center.
Today, this "weird cat" is officially recognized as a new species—Leopardus tilcayo. For the first time in over a century, scientists have officially described a new extant species of the felid family and given it a scientific name.
When Paula Nogales-Ascarrunz saw the cat, she immediately noticed several peculiarities: a small face, short rounded ears, long whiskers, and most importantly, large spots resembling leopard rosettes.
At the time, the scientist assumed she was looking at a representative of an already known species—the oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus). But a few years later, she noticed a crucial detail.
In 2019, while working on a handbook of Bolivian felines, Nogales-Ascarrunz compared photos of the animal with images of oncillas from neighboring Brazil. It turned out that the Bolivian cat's coat rosettes were significantly larger.
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The researcher decided to test her hunch using genetic analysis. Working with geneticists from Brazil and Belgium, the scientists studied the genomes of 38 representatives of the genus Leopardus. The results confirmed it: the unusual cat indeed does not belong to any known species.
Scientists officially described it as a new species and named it Leopardus tilcayo. The name was not chosen by chance; it is what local residents call this cat. Interestingly, they do not know the exact meaning of the word—they only say that their grandfathers used the name.
What is known about the new cat species
The new species inhabits the cloud forests of the Yungas in Bolivia. These wild cats are considerably smaller than domestic ones: an adult weighs about 1.5 kilograms, and its body length, including the tail, reaches approximately 75 centimeters.
So far, scientists know very little about them. They have yet to determine exactly what these cats eat, who their natural enemies are, or how they reproduce. It is also unknown how many Leopardus tilcayo individuals remain in the wild.
Genetic analysis showed that this species diverged from other oncillas approximately 1.4 million years ago. This means the animal is not just slightly different in appearance from its relatives—it has had its own evolutionary history for millions of years.
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The hidden diversity of wild cats
The discovery proved significant not just because of the new species itself. The research also changed scientific understanding of the genus Leopardus. Previously, it was believed that oncillas consisted of fewer species. Now, researchers distinguish five species of oncillas.
Scientists suggest that similar discoveries could happen with other small wild cats. Many lead secretive lifestyles, so even camera traps do not always allow for reliable species identification. Genetic analysis provides the opportunity to see differences that are impossible to notice by appearance alone.
This is also vital for animal conservation. If several genetically distinct populations are considered a single species, the threat to each may be underestimated. After being split into separate species, their numbers and population status must be assessed individually.
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