Scientists disclosed a new tiger cat, Leopardus tilcayo, from the Bolivian Yungas forest this week, ending a search that produced the first new cat species identified in over 100 years. Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, a co-author of the report, said she found it basically by accident while volunteering at a wildlife rehab facility close to La Paz, Bolivia.
The cat is smaller than a typical housecat and has spots and round ears. Nogales-Ascarrunz told News that it is currently unknown how many of the cats remain in the wild, leaving the find important but incomplete for anyone trying to understand how widespread the animal really is.
La Paz wildlife rehab facility
Nogales-Ascarrunz said the discovery began when a tiny cat arrived at the facility with a man who had been caring for it. She noticed what she thought was a kitten. The man had been feeding the animal rice and eggs before later giving it up when he was unable to care for it.
Genetic testing changed the identification. What looked like a small rescued cat turned out to be a brand-new species of cat never before discovered or documented, and Current Biology disclosed that result this week.
Leopardus tilcayo in Bolivia
The finding places Leopardus tilcayo in a narrow scientific category: a newly named cat species with a wild population that has not been counted. That makes the discovery less a finished inventory than a starting point for knowing where the animal lives, how often it appears, and whether the species is more widespread than the single cat that reached the rehab facility.
For now, the clearest facts are the ones scientists have already put on record: a small, spotted cat from Bolivia's Yungas forest, a family resemblance to a housecat, and a discovery that arrived through a call about a weird cat and a test that changed the label.
