A New Wild Cat Species Discovered in Bolivia After a Century

Deep in the cloud‑kissed mountains of Bolivia’s Yungas, a tiny wild cat has been turning heads. It’s not just any cat – scientists say it’s a brand‑new species, the first living felid to be formally named in more than a century.

Local people call the animal “tilcayo,” a name that now also appears in the scientific world as Leopardus tilcayo. The cat is a member of the tiger‑cat group, a set of elusive predators that pepper much of South America’s forested landscape.

Measuring about 46 cm (18 inches) from nose to tail tip and weighing roughly 1.4 kg (3 lb), it’s actually smaller than the average house cat. Its coat is a light brown, splashed with irregular rosettes that give it a dappled, almost mystical appearance – a detail noted by National Geographic Explorer Paola Nogales‑Ascarrunz, one of the study’s lead authors.

What’s striking isn’t just its looks. Genetic work, involving DNA from 38 tiger‑cats collected across several countries and even a handful of museum skins, revealed that what we thought were a handful of species are actually five genetically distinct lineages. The Bolivian cat turned out to have split from its nearest relatives about 1.4 million years ago.

“We never expected this Bolivian tiger cat to be a separate species,” says evolutionary biologist Jonas Lescroart of the University of Antwerp. “Its traits just didn’t line up with the descriptions that were based mostly on Brazilian specimens.”

Little is known about the creature’s habits, but clues are emerging. Scat samples contain bits of tiny rodents, hinting at a diet of small mammals. Camera traps have caught the animal moving under the veil of night, suggesting it’s primarily nocturnal.

The discovery also unearthed a new subspecies in Peru’s Yungas, christened Leopardus tigrinus antisuyo after the ancient Inca region of Antisuyu. Both findings underscore how much remains hidden in the continent’s cloud forests.

For now, the newly described cat can be seen roaming the Senda Verde animal refuge, where researchers continue to monitor its behavior and protect its fragile habitat. It’s a reminder that even in the 21st century, nature can still surprise us with brand‑new marvels.