New wildcat species, the tilcayo, discovered in Bolivia
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Biologists in Bolivia’s Yungas cloud forest confirmed that a small spotted cat long known to local communities as the tilcayo is a distinct species, formally named Leopardus tilcayo.
For years, researchers identified these cats as tiger cats, but genetic analysis revealed the tilcayo split from other tiger cat lineages approximately 1.4 million years ago. Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, a National Geographic explorer, observed discrepancies between the Bolivian cats and descriptions from Brazil, prompting a more detailed genetic study.
The team examined DNA from 38 cats across South America, including museum specimens, and found five genetically distinct tiger cat lineages, not just the two previously recognized. The tilcayo is a small cat, averaging 18 inches in length and 3 pounds in weight, with light brown fur and dark rosettes. Researchers have limited data on the species, having directly examined only two live individuals, one currently residing at the Senda Verde wildlife sanctuary after being a pet.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature may now list the tilcayo as endangered, given its limited habitat in the threatened Yungas forest and declining populations due to deforestation and other pressures.
