A Tiny Bolivian Wildcat Didn't Match Known Species, Then DNA Revealed a 1.4 Million-Year Evolutionary Split

A tiny spotted cat from Bolivia's cloud forests has been confirmed as a new species after its unusual appearance prompted scientists to investigate its DNA.

Named Leopardus tilcayo, the wild cat was formally described on Thursday following years of research into South America's difficult-to-distinguish tiger cats.

According to reports, genomic analysis found that its lineage separated from other tiger cats about 1.4 million years ago, explaining why an animal once assumed to belong to a known species did not quite match existing descriptions.

The discovery marks the first time a new living cat species has been formally named and described in more than a century.

What Is the New Bolivian Cat Species?

The tilcayo is a remarkably small wild cat. Researchers describe it as roughly 46cm from head to body and about 1.4kg in weight, making it smaller than an average domestic cat. Its light-brown coat is covered with irregular dark rosettes, giving it the appearance of a miniature leopard.

It inhabits Bolivia's Yungas, a humid mountainous region of cloud forest where the Andes transition towards the Amazon basin.

Bolivian biologist and National Geographic Explorer Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz encountered an unusual individual at the Senda Verde wildlife refuge after local people found it there. The animal had initially been associated with Leopardus tigrinus, commonly known as the northern tiger cat or oncilla.

But its physical characteristics raised questions because the markings and other features did not properly correspond with existing tiger cat descriptions, many of which were based on animals from elsewhere in South America.

DNA Revealed a 1.4 Million-Year Evolutionary Split

Appearance provided the clue, but genetics delivered the answer.

Researchers analysed complete genomes from 38 cats of the genus Leopardus, using samples collected across South America and including eight museum specimens. The comparison showed that the Bolivian population represented a distinct evolutionary lineage.

The DNA indicated that the tilcayo lineage diverged from other tiger cats approximately 1.4 million years ago. That deep separation, combined with its physical differences and geographic distribution, supported its recognition as Leopardus tilcayo rather than another population of a previously described tiger cat.

The wider genomic investigation also reshaped scientists' understanding of the tiger cat group. Animals once treated as belonging to a much smaller number of species are now understood to represent at least five genetically distinct species.

Local Communities Already Knew the Tilcayo Cat

While Leopardus tilcayo is new to scientific taxonomy, the animal itself was not unknown in Bolivia.

Communities in the region already used the name 'tilcayo' for the small wild cat. Researchers retained that local name when formally naming the species, connecting its scientific classification with knowledge that existed before genetic analysis established its evolutionary history.

The study also identified Leopardus tigrinus antisuyo, a newly described subspecies from Peru's Yungas region.

New Discovery Raises Conservation Questions

Scientists reportedly still do not know how many tilcayos survive in the wild or precisely how widely they are distributed. Researchers are installing additional camera traps in Bolivia's Yungas to gather evidence about the cat's population, behaviour and range.

That information will matter for conservation because tiger cats face pressures including habitat loss. Recognising genetically distinct populations can also change how their individual extinction risks are assessed.

The researchers have shared their findings with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which is expected to assess the five tiger cat lineages separately.

Hence, scientific recognition has posed another question for the tilcayo: how many of these little cats still roam the Bolivian forests?