Researchers have formally described a new species of wild cat native to Bolivia's Yungas cloud forest — the first entirely new feline species identified by science in more than 100 years. The species, named Leopardus tilcayo (common name: tilcayo cat or tilcayo tiger cat), was described in a study published Thursday, September 17, in the journal Current Biology.
How the Discovery Began
The story traces back to 2016, when biologist and National Geographic Explorer Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz received a call from a local wildlife sanctuary in Bolivia that had just been given what staff described as "a weird cat." The animal had originally been found as a kitten near a forest road by a man in La Paz, who initially believed it was a domestic breed and reportedly fed it "noodles, rice, and eggs" before realizing, after about a year of living with it, that it was clearly a wild animal — prompting him to bring it to the Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Moment of Realization
When Nogales-Ascarrunz first visited the sanctuary to see the animal, she assumed it was simply an unusual-looking member of the related Leopardus tigrinus species. "I took a hundred pictures of it," she recalled to National Geographic. "I was so fascinated." It wasn't until 2019, while preparing a booklet cataloging Bolivia's wild cat species, that she realized the animal appeared genuinely distinct from any known tigrina. Speaking to ABC News about her first encounter with the animal, she said: "The first time I saw it, it was really, really small and skinny and I couldn't believe like how small it was."
What Makes the Tilcayo Cat Unique
Compared to other "tiger cats" in the Leopardus genus, the tilcayo cat has a distinctively small, scrunched-up face, small round ears, and long whiskers, along with a slender, spotted body. It measures approximately 18 inches (45 centimeters) from head to the end of its body and weighs just 3 pounds (1.3 kilograms) — making it smaller than the average domestic house cat. The species is native to Bolivia's Yungas cloud forest, where the Andes mountains meet the Amazon basin, specifically found near the town of Arapata in the La Paz department, at an elevation of roughly 1,570 meters (about 5,150 feet).
An Especially Rare Kind of Discovery
National Geographic emphasized what makes this finding particularly notable: it isn't the validation of a species proposed long ago, nor a previously recognized subspecies being elevated to full species status — both more commonly reported types of taxonomic findings. Instead, the tilcayo cat represents something "totally new to science." Co-author Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, who leads the wild cat conservation program Programa de Investigación de Félidos Bolivia, noted that it's rare to identify a new, relatively large mammal at all, since most newly discovered animal species tend to be considerably smaller in size.
Only One Known Specimen
Remarkably, the tilcayo cat is currently known from just a single individual — the same cat first brought to the Senda Verde sanctuary around 2017 after being surrendered by the local family that had been caring for it. That individual, now approximately 10 years old, remains the only known member of the species and continues to live at the sanctuary in protective captivity.
A Diet and Habitat Still Being Understood
As of September 2026, relatively little is known about the tilcayo cat's ecology and behavior in the wild. Remains of small rodents found in fecal samples indicate they form part of the species' diet, while camera trap footage has provided additional, though still limited, insight into its natural habits within the Yungas cloud forest.
Part of a Broader, Threatened Group of Cats
The new study identifies five distinct tiger cat species across South America within the tigrina complex, a group of small, spotted wild cats native to Central and South America. Co-author Tadeu de Oliveira, an ecologist at the State University of Maranhão in Brazil, cautioned that all five species face significant conservation pressure: "All of them are in habitats that are vanishing fast," he said, pointing to expanding development and agriculture as key threats across the group's range.
The Broader Significance for the Region
The discovery underscores just how much remains unknown about the Andes-Amazon basin more broadly — one of the least-studied regions within the Neotropical realm, yet home to an extraordinary concentration of species found nowhere else on Earth. Researchers involved in the study suggested the tilcayo cat could be the first of several additional new small cat species yet to be formally identified in the region.
What's Next
With only a single confirmed specimen currently known to science, researchers are expected to continue field surveys in the Yungas region to determine the species' wild population size, range, and conservation status. For the full study, see the full National Geographic feature.