The First New Wild Cat Species Discovered In Over A Century

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Description

The Tilcayo (Leopardus tilcayo) is a species of newly discovered wild cat native to Bolivia. It measures 18 inches from head to tail, and weighs just 3 pounds. That’s smaller than a domestic cat! The Tilcayo is a member of the family of cats known as tiger cats, which are small, spotted cats living in South America. It has a very distinctive pattern on its body: large spots known as rosettes. The Tilcayo uses these to camouflage, as the irregular shapes help to break up its outline. Due to its habitat in the dense cloud forests of Bolivia, the Tilcayo is built for agility and climbing, as opposed to bursts of speed like some other cats. This not only allows it navigate its environment much easier, but also hunt down its preferred prey, small rodents. It uses its teeth and claws to take them down, much like how a domestic cat does to rodents or birds. The name “Tilcayo” has no other meaning, it is simply the word in the local language used for the animal. Not much else is known about them because they are extremely elusive and thus are hard for scientists to study. In fact, there is only one known specimen in captivity, but researchers believe there may be more living deep in the cloud forest. With the use of trail cameras, they hope to be able to observe them in the near future.

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Discovery

The Tilcayo was formally described on September 17, 2026 as the first new species of wild cat in over 100 years. This is not an exaggeration, the last wild cat before it was the Pampas cat (Leopardus colocola) described in 1923. While the Tilcayo was already known to locals for decades, it was completely unknown to science until now. Well, sort of. Originally, tiger cats were thought to be a single species, Leopardus tigrinus. It had a variety of sub-species and regional variations, as its range encompassed much of South and Central America. However, in 2013, genetic testing on museum specimens revealed that the some of them were distinct enough to be classified as a new species. This was the Southern Tiger Cat, or Leopardus guttulus. Naturally, the original tiger cat became known as the Northern Tiger Cat. Over the course of the next few years, two more tiger cat species would be recognized, bringing the total up to 4. Then, in 2026, a living tiger cat in a wildlife sanctuary was re-evaluated. This individual had been living in the sanctuary since 2017. Genetic testing realized that it was actually a fifth distinct species, right under the scientists’ noses! Unlike the other “new” species, which had been collected and described centuries ago, this one was brand new, allowing it to actually be known as a new species. So, the scientists officially described it as Leopardus tilcayo!

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Works Cited

Bittel, Jason. “Meet the First New Cat Species Discovered in 100 Years.” Animals, 17 Sept. 2026, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/meet-the-first-new-cat-species-discovered-in-100-years. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

Kuta, Sarah. “Meet the Adorable and Tiny Tilcayo, the First Brand-New Cat Species Identified in More Than a Century.” Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Sept. 2026, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-the-adorable-and-tiny-tilcayo-the-first-brand-new-cat-species-identified-in-more-than-a-century-180989528/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

“Photos Show New Species of Wild Cat Discovered in Bolivia — the First in 100 Years.” National Geographic, 18 Sept. 2026, news.nationalgeographic.org/photos-new-wild-cat-species/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.