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Scientists name first new cat species in 100 years
A tiny wild cat from Bolivia's cloud forests becomes the first entirely new living feline species formally described since 1923.
In brief
A tiny wild cat from Bolivia's cloud forests becomes the first entirely new living feline species formally described since 1923. Leopardus tilcayo, a small spotted wild cat from Bolivia's Yungas forests, is the first brand-new living cat species named in over a century, discovered through genetic research after a…
First new cat species in 100 years
Scientists formally named Leopardus tilcayo, a small spotted wild cat from Bolivia's Yungas cloud forests. The discovery was published in Current Biology on September 17, 2026.
“First New Living Cat Species In 100 Years Found In Yungas Cloud Forest”
Not a house cat, but a wild tiger cat
Leopardus tilcayo is a wild felid much smaller than domestic cats, weighing about 3 pounds with light brown fur and irregular rosettes. Scientists don't yet know how many survive in the wild.
How scientists confirmed the discovery
A team led by National Geographic Explorer Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz and geneticist Eduardo Eizirik compared complete genomes from 38 Leopardus individuals. The Bolivian animals formed their own lineage, split from relatives about 1.4 million years ago.
The name comes from local communities
Scientists named the species Leopardus tilcayo after the word local communities in Bolivia already used for the animal. The same study recognized five tiger-cat species total.
One cat in human care since 2016
A male tilcayo found as a kitten around 2016 was kept by a local family, then turned over to Senda Verde Animal Refuge in 2017. Now about 10 years old, he is the only known individual living under human care and cannot return to the wild.
Habitat is threatened cloud forest
The confirmed range is Bolivia's Yungas, humid cloud-covered forest on the eastern Andes where mountains meet the Amazon basin. The species may also occur in nearby Yungas of northern Argentina, but that is not confirmed.
Population size remains unknown
No census exists for the species. Genomic data hint at a historically small, declining lineage with a possible vulnerable profile. The Yungas faces pressure from agriculture.
Why it took so long to find
Tiger cats are easy to misidentify as margays or oncillas in photos, which is why the species stayed hidden. Camera traps are now being deployed to find wild animals.
Last new cat species was 103 years ago
The Uruguayan pampas cat, Leopardus fasciatus, was described in 1923. Other South American cats were split from existing names in recent years, but tilcayo is the first entirely new living species found and named.
Here's the gist
Leopardus tilcayo, a small spotted wild cat from Bolivia's Yungas forests, is the first brand-new living cat species named in over a century, discovered through genetic research after a wildlife sanctuary reported an unusual animal.
