2 hrs ago
Scientists identify proposed new cat species after century-long gap
A small wild cat was found near a forest in Bolivia.
People first thought it was an ordinary tiger cat.
A scientist noticed that its spots looked different from other tiger cats.
Years later, researchers studied its DNA.
The DNA showed that it was different enough to be proposed as a new species.
They suggested naming it Leopardus tilcayo.
Scientists think it separated from other tiger cats about 1.4 million years ago.
They still do not know how many of these cats live in the wild or much about their lives.
Scientists propose Leopardus tilcayo as a new felid species from Bolivia.
The animal was found after a wildlife sanctuary reported a “weird cat” in 2016.
Genetic analysis showed the cat was distinct from the previously recognized tiger cat.
Researchers estimate Leopardus tilcayo diverged from other tiger cats about 1.4 million years ago.
The discovery expands the tiger cat complex to five species and raises conservation concerns.
- Who
- Bolivian biologist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz and researchers Eduardo Eizirik and Jonas Lescroart studied the animal.
- What
- Scientists proposed Leopardus tilcayo as a new felid species after genetic analysis.
- Where
- The cat was found near a forest in Bolivia and is known from the Yungas forest ecoregion.
- When
- The animal was reported in 2016, and the study was published after several years of investigation.
- Why
- Its appearance and DNA showed that it was distinct from the previously recognized tiger cat.
Key facts
- Proposed species
- Leopardus tilcayo
- Discovery location
- Bolivia’s Yungas forest ecoregion
- Initial report
- A wildlife sanctuary contacted Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz in 2016.
- Genetic divergence
- About 1.4 million years ago
- Genomic sample
- 38 individuals from across the Leopardus genus
- Publication
- The findings were detailed in Current Biology.
- Recent felid precedent
- The pampas cat was described as the last newly discovered felid in 1923.
Quotes
Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz
Bolivian biologist, National Geographic Explorer, and founder of the Bolivian Felids Research Program
“I took a hundred pictures of it”
livemint.com
“I was so fascinated.”
livemint.com
Sources
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