An international team of researchers has described a new wild cat species, “Leopardus tilcayo”, which inhabits the Yungas forest ecoregion on the eastern slopes of the Andes in Bolivia. The findings have been published in the journal “Current Biology”. This marks the first description of a new cat species in over a century—since the discovery of the Pampas cat in 1923.

The specimen that served as the basis for the species description was discovered in 2016 and transferred to the Senda Verde wildlife sanctuary. The animal is characterized by its small size (approximately 46 cm in length and weighing about 1,4 kg), rounded ears, and spotted coat. Initially, it was assigned to a known species—the oncilla (“Leopardus tigrinus”)—but morphological differences, particularly the size of the rosettes on its coat, cast doubt on this classification.

To clarify the animal's taxonomic status, researchers conducted a comparative analysis of the complete genomes of 38 individuals from the genus “Leopardus”. The data revealed that the new species is genetically distinct from other members of the tiger cat group; the divergence occurred approximately 1,4 million years ago—a timeframe comparable to the evolutionary distance between modern lions and extinct cave lions. The specific epithet “tilcayo” was assigned based on the animal's local name.

The authors note that the results necessitate a revision of the taxonomy of the genus “Leopardus” as a whole: the group of tiger cats, which previously comprised one or two species, now includes five species following successive studies in 2013, 2024, and 2025. Furthermore, the data obtained suggest the likelihood of a similar split among margays—a group currently regarded as a single species ranging from Mexico to Argentina, but which, according to preliminary estimates, may comprise up to four distinct species.

Researchers emphasize the practical significance of such refinements for conservation efforts: the accurate determination of species boundaries and ranges directly affects the assessment of population conservation status. Splitting a previously unified taxon into several species typically implies a reduction in the population size and range of each individual species, which may necessitate a revision of conservation priorities. The precise size of the “Leopardus tilcayo” population in the wild has not yet been established.