New Wild Cat Species Identified in Bolivia's Yungas Forest

Researchers have identified a new species of wild cat found in Bolivia's Yungas forest, a mountainous, cloud-covered region known for high humidity. The cat, called the tilcayo by local communities, belongs to a group known as tiger cats found across South America. Multiple reports state this marks the first time a new living feline species has been formally named and described in more than a century. According to the reporting, the tilcayo measures about 18 inches (46 cm) long and weighs approximately 3 pounds (1.4 kg), making it smaller than the average domestic cat. The animal had reportedly been living for years at a wildlife sanctuary in Bolivia after being taken in by a local family, having previously been mistaken for a related species before researchers determined it was genetically and physically distinct. A Bolivian researcher is credited with identifying the new species, though specific details of the scientific methods or publication used to confirm the classification were not consistently reported across sources. The species has now been documented in Bolivia's cloud forest habitat, though the full extent of its range, population size, and conservation status remain unresolved based on available reporting. It is unclear from the sources how many individual tilcayos have been observed or studied, or whether formal conservation measures are planned. The precise timeline of the discovery process, including when researchers first began investigating the animal at the sanctuary, was not detailed in the available reports.