New cat species found in Bolivia after a century

A new cat species has been identified in Bolivia’s cloud forest, the first such discovery in more than 100 years. Researchers used genetic analysis to confirm the animal as a previously undescribed species, naming it Leopardus tilcayo after the name local communities already used for it, “Tilcayo.”

The cat is about 18 inches long and weighs about 3 pounds, slightly smaller than the average domestic cat. It was found in the Yungas forest of Bolivia.

“Its fur is light brown … with irregularly shaped rosettes across its body,” said Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, a National Geographic Explorer and one of the authors of the study describing the newly identified species, published Thursday in the journal Current Biology.

Nogales-Ascarrunz emphasized how rare the discovery is, according to NBC News.

“This time, it’s a cat. That’s really novel. And it hasn’t happened in 100 years,” she said. “No one else had named it. No one else had described it.”

A photo released alongside the study shows an individual of the species at Senda Verde Animal Refuge in Bolivia’s Yungas region. The animal is the only known individual of the species living in protective captivity. It arrived at the sanctuary around 2017 after being turned over by a local family that had kept it in their home.