Researchers Name New Cat Species Leopardus Tilcayo in Bolivia

A small wild cat living in Bolivia's cloud forest has been formally identified as a new species, the first time a new living feline species has been named and described in more than a century, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Current Biology and reported by Reuters.

The cat is known locally as tilcayo. Researchers gave it the scientific name Leopardus tilcayo, keeping the local name intact, according to the Guardian's reporting on the study.

Where was the tilcayo found?

The cat inhabits the Yungas, a mountainous, humid forest region in Bolivia frequently covered by cloud cover, according to the researchers. The area's dense vegetation and elevation have long made it difficult to survey for wildlife, which the study's authors say helps explain why the species went undocumented for so long.

How big is the tilcayo?

The tilcayo measures about 18 inches (46cm) long and weighs roughly 3 pounds (1.4kg), according to the study, making it smaller than the average domestic cat. "Its fur is light brown … with irregularly shaped rosettes across its body," said Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, a National Geographic explorer and one of the study's authors, describing the animal to Reuters.

How did scientists confirm it as a new species?

The tilcayo belongs to a group called tiger cats found across much of South America. Researchers used genetic data to distinguish it from related tiger cat populations, according to the study. Tiger cats had previously been treated as a single species, but genetic research decades ago suggested the group actually contained multiple distinct species, said Jonas Lescroart, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Antwerp in Belgium and the study's co-lead author.

What is still unknown about the tilcayo?

Little is documented about the animal's biology and behavior. Remains of small rodents found in scat samples suggest they may be part of its diet, and camera-trap footage indicates the cat could be more active at night, Nogales-Ascarrunz told Reuters. No population estimate or conservation status was included in the reporting.

Why does this discovery matter to scientists?

Tiger cats are described by researchers as cryptic species, meaning they cannot easily be told apart by appearance alone, according to Lescroart. That makes genetic analysis, rather than visual identification, the tool that ultimately confirmed the tilcayo as its own species — the kind of methodological shift that has reshaped how biologists catalog small, elusive mammals in dense tropical habitats.

Key figures

• Body length: about 18 inches (46cm)
• Weight: about 3 pounds (1.4kg)
• Study published: September 17, 2026, in Current Biology

Glossary

• Cryptic species: Distinct species that look similar or identical and require genetic or other non-visual evidence to distinguish.
• Tiger cats: A group of small wild cat species native to South America, of which the tilcayo is the newest confirmed member.
• Cloud forest: A humid, high-elevation forest type frequently enveloped in low-lying cloud cover, such as Bolivia's Yungas region.

Source: The Guardian