Bolivia's Tilcayo Cat: First New Cat Species in Over a Century
Scientists have named Leopardus tilcayo, a tiger-cat from Bolivia, the first new living cat species named and described in more than a century. Al Jazeera reported the description on September 18, 2026.
The scientific name is Leopardus tilcayo. Local communities call it "tilcayo," which gives it the common name, the tilcayo cat. Discover Wildlife It is small, about 46 cm (18 inches) long and about 1.4 kg (3 pounds), smaller than an average domestic cat. Its coat is light brown with irregularly shaped rosettes, ring-like spots common in small spotted cats.
The cat comes from the Yungas forest in Bolivia, a mountainous area of cloud-covered forest with high humidity. That forest lies in the Andes-Amazon basin. The first animal known to science is a 10-year-old male tiger cat. National Geographic One individual resides at Senda Verde Animal Refuge in Bolivia's Yungas region. Yahoo Reuters had reported the identification on September 17, 2026. Reuters
The description was published in the journal Current Biology. Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, a National Geographic Explorer, led the research and is one of the study authors. Jonas Lescroart, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Antwerp in Belgium, is co-lead author. The team analysed DNA from 38 cats sampled across several South American countries, including eight museum specimens. The study found tiger cats are five genetically distinct species, or groups with separate DNA lineages. Genetic analysis suggested the tilcayo lineage, a branch on the family tree, separated from other tiger cats about 1.4 million years ago.
The team also described a new tiger-cat subspecies, a regional variant within a species, in Peru's Yungas. It is named Leopardus tigrinus antisuyo, after Antisuyu, the region of the old Inca Empire that included the area it inhabits. Ecological data are limited. Scat samples containing remains of small rodents suggest small rodents may form part of its diet. Camera-trap evidence, from automatic cameras placed in the forest, indicates it could be more active at night.
The broader context here involves what happens when one widespread tiger-cat becomes five. One concept carries one range, one population estimate and one threat assessment. Five species carry five of each. For managers in the Andes-Amazon basin, that arithmetic can redraw priorities without any change in forest cover or field counts. Museum DNA extended sampling across time and geography that live trapping alone did not provide. The 1.4-million-year split adds historical depth. It does not by itself settle species limits, which rest on combined evidence across genetics, body form and geography.
In my view, the operational questions now center on survey design and legal alignment. Camera traps and scat collection produced initial diet and activity signals. Systematic work across the Bolivian and Peruvian Yungas, paired with genetic sampling tied to preserved specimens, could clarify whether known occurrences reflect continuous distribution or isolated populations. Taxonomic change also moves through databases, permits, protected-area plans and trade controls. Until those instruments catch up, field workers and regulators may operate with mismatched names.
