A new species of tiger cat, Leopardus tilcayo, has been identified for the first time in 100 years, highlighting the conservation challenges faced by these small wild cats in South and Central America. The study, co-authored by Tadeu de Oliveira, an ecologist at the State University of Maranhão, reveals that there are five tiger cat species in South America, all located in rapidly vanishing habitats.
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The new species might have remained unnoticed if not for the keen observation of Nogales-Ascarrunz, a volunteer at the Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary near La Paz, Bolivia. She encountered the small cat, which she initially thought was a domestic kitten due to its size. The cat had been brought in by a local resident who mistook it for a pet and had fed it rice and noodles before realizing it was wild and needed care.
Upon further investigation, Nogales-Ascarrunz and her colleagues initially surmised it could be an existing species from Brazil, but she was not convinced due to distinct markings. Genetic testing of the tiger cat’s tissues indicated that it represented a unique species that diverged from other tiger cat lineages around 1.4 million years ago.
Indigenous communities in Bolivia have known about this cat for generations, referring to it as tilcayo. Nogales-Ascarrunz noted the importance of preserving this traditional knowledge instead of renaming the species.
She is now working to install camera traps in the Yungas forest to find more instances of Leopardus tilcayo. The discovery is significant, given that scientists typically add about 65 new mammal species to taxonomy annually, often through recognizing splits in previously grouped species. In contrast, the tilcayo had never been documented in museum collections, marking it as a completely novel finding.
With its small population likely under threat, Nogales-Ascarrunz emphasizes the importance of this discovery for conservation efforts, stating it serves as a new impetus to protect the natural world.