Article written by Our Foreign Staff Outlet
Originally published by The Telegraph, 17 September 2026
The tilcayo, which has light brown fur, was found in Bolivia’s Yungas forest
A small wild cat that inhabits a forest in Bolivia has been identified as a new feline species.
The animal, called tilcayo by local communities, is part of a group called tiger cats – small, spotted wild cats native to Central and South America.
It is the first time in more than a century that a previously unknown living feline species has been formally named.
The tilcayo was found in Bolivia’s Yungas forest, a mountainous region of low-level cloud and high humidity.
It measures around 46cm (18in) long and weighs about 1.4kg (3lb), making it smaller than the average domestic cat.
Researchers used genetic data to confirm that the cat was a new species, giving it the scientific name Leopardus tilcayo.
Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, one of the authors of a study into the new species published on Thursday, said: “Its fur is light brown, with irregularly shaped rosettes across its body.”
Little is known about the cat’s biology and lifestyle. Remains of small rodents in faecal samples suggested that they might form part of its diet and the feline could be more active at night, Ms Nogales-Ascarrunz said.
Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, who led the research, with a tilcayo at a refuge in the Yundas region Credit: Reuters/Fernando Faciole
Tiger cats are described as cryptic species because they cannot easily be distinguished by appearance, according to Jonas Lescroart, a University of Antwerp biologist and co-lead author of the study.
They were previously considered a single species before genetic studies suggested the existence of several different species.
Referring to the new discovery, Mr Lescroart said: “Our information at this moment is limited to the two live individuals that we examined and a small number of camera-trap records.”
One of the cats examined is a 10-year-old male that now lives in Bolivia’s Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary after being kept by a local family in their home.
Ms Nogales-Ascarrunz said the cat drew interest because “its characteristics did not match the descriptions, most of them based on Brazilian cats”. This led them to look closer at which tiger cats species inhabited Bolivia.
Her team analysed DNA from 38 cats sampled across several South American countries, including eight museum specimens. The study found that tiger cats were five genetically distinct species.
“We never expected this Bolivian tiger cat to be a separate species, and no one had ever proposed it as a different animal, sub-species or otherwise,” Mr Lescroart said.
Genetic analysis suggested that the tilcayo lineage separated from other tiger cats about 1.4m years ago.
“The more differences in their DNA, the longer the time that we estimate those lineages to have been physically separated,” Mr Lescroart said, adding that such a gap was generally considered a species-level divide in cats.
Genetic analysis suggested that the tilcayo lineage separated from other tiger cats about 1.4m years ago Credit: Reuters/Fernando Faciole
The research team also described a new tiger cat subspecies in the Peruvian region of the Yungas forest, naming it Leopardus tigrinus antisuyo after Antisuyu, an area of the Inca Empire.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, which tracks the status of species, treats tiger cats as two vulnerable species with declining populations.
The researchers have shared their findings with the IUCN, whose upcoming review will assess the five lineages separately.
Species such as the tilcayo could potentially be considered endangered when assessed on their own, Mr Lescroart said.
The assessment will be particularly important for the Yungas forest, which is considered one of the region’s most threatened ecosystems.
The mountain forests face growing pressure from deforestation, agricultural expansion, human-caused fires and mining, Ms Nogales-Ascarrunz said.
She added that restoring forest patches damaged by fires, protecting remaining native forest and maintaining connections between habitats were urgent priorities.
Eduardo Eizirik, one of the study’s senior authors, said: “Showing the general public that even in a flagship group such as cats there are still new species to be discovered may transmit an important message.
“There are many undiscovered species out there in the world, and they are at risk of disappearing before we even discover them.”
