Bolivia Scientists Identify First New Cat Species in Over a Century

Scientists have officially identified the tilcayo as a new wild cat species discovered for the first time in more than 100 years. The tiny feline, weighing only three to four pounds and covered in leopard-like spots, lives in Bolivia's Bolivian Yungas cloud forest. A local man found the animal around 2016 near La Paz but initially mistook it for a domestic kitten before realizing its wild nature after feeding it at home for about a year. He eventually brought Tigrino to the Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary, where biologist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz first examined the creature's unique features including short ears and distinct markings. Her team determined that while previous discoveries often involved reclassifying known subspecies or validating old proposals, this represents an entirely new species described in a study published September 17 in Current Biology.