Tilcayo tiger cat: Bolivia’s cloud forest yields a newly identified wild cat

Researchers have identified Leopardus tilcayo, the Tilcayo tiger cat, as a new small wild cat species from Bolivia’s Yungas cloud forest, based on genetic testing that shows it diverged from other tiger cats about 1.4 million years ago. Described in Current Biology, the discovery—rare for mammals of this size—emphasizes conservation needs as habitat loss threatens a potentially small wild population. Indigenous communities have long known of Tilcayo, and scientists are installing camera traps to estimate numbers and inform protection efforts.