Bolivia's Tilcayo named as the first new cat in a century

What did scientists find?

A small wild cat that lives in Bolivia’s cloud forest is a species previously unknown to science. It is the first new living cat species formally named and described in more than a century, according to Reuters.

Local communities call the cat Tilcayo. Researchers used genetic data to confirm it as a new species. They named it Leopardus tilcayo, keeping its local name. The study was published in the journal Current Biology on 17 September 2026.

How small is it?

Reuters reports the Tilcayo is about 46 cm long and weighs around 1.4 kg, smaller than an average domestic cat. Science News gives its weight as roughly 2 kg. Both describe a small spotted cat.

How was it identified?

The cat belongs to the tiger cats, a group found across much of South America. The research team analysed DNA from 38 cats sampled across several South American countries, including eight museum specimens.

The study found that tiger cats are in fact five genetically distinct species. The Tilcayo’s lineage separated from other tiger cats about 1.4 million years ago, the genetic analysis suggests. The team also described a new tiger cat subspecies in Peru’s Yungas forests.

How much do we know about it?

Very little so far. The researchers’ information is limited to two live animals they examined and a small number of camera-trap records. One of the live cats is a 10-year-old male that now lives at the Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary.

Why does it matter?

Naming a species is often the first step towards protecting it. Researchers told Reuters that species such as the Tilcayo could potentially be considered endangered when assessed on their own. The mountain forests where it lives face growing pressure from deforestation, farming expansion, human-caused fires and mining.

The cat’s formal conservation status has not yet been assessed, and nobody knows how many live in the wild.