Scientists have identified a previously unknown species of wild cat living at a wildlife sanctuary in Bolivia, marking the first time in more than 100 years that a new living wild cat species has been named and described.
The findings, published in the journal Current Biology, follow genetic research on a small spotted cat that had lived at a sanctuary in Bolivia’s Yungas region, near the administrative capital of La Paz.
Bolivian biologist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, a National Geographic explorer and co-lead author of the study, examined the animal after a colleague who volunteered at the sanctuary noted its unusual physical traits. Nogales-Ascarrunz observed that the male cat, currently about 10 years old, weighs 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms) and measures 18 inches (46 centimeters) from its head to the base of its tail—making it smaller than a typical domestic house cat. The feline features a light brown coat covered in dark, leopard-like spots.
To establish the cat’s lineage within South America’s feline family tree, researchers sequenced and compared genomes from more than 30 cats across Colombia, Peru, and Brazil. Scientists also extracted DNA from historical bones and preserved skins in European and American museum collections to complete the dataset.
The genomic sequencing revealed that the sanctuary cat belongs to a distinct species whose evolutionary line diverged from related felines roughly 1.4 million years ago. The last wild cat species formally identified by scientists was the Uruguayan pampas cat in 1923.
Nogales-Ascarrunz noted that despite extensive naturalist expeditions during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, the species was never officially collected or described by Western science. The research team chose the scientific name Leopardus tilcayo to adopt the moniker long used by indigenous communities in the Andean tropical cloud forests where the animals reside.
Study co-author Jonas Lescroart, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Antwerp, stated that the identification demonstrates that hidden genetic diversity remains even within heavily researched groups such as the cat family. Researchers indicated that future field studies will focus on observing and documenting Leopardus tilcayo populations in their natural wild habitat.
Sources
– [France24 News](https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20260919-scientists-discover-first-new-wild-cat-in-more-than-100-years)
Source: France24 News
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Story synopsis gathered from: France24 News — source
