See the first new species of cat discovered in more than a century—it’s adorable
The cat is smaller than a house cat but has the spots of a leopard
Scientists have recently identified a new species of cat, the Leopardus tilcayo, after more than a century without discovering a new wildcat species. This adorable creature, smaller than a house cat and spotted like a leopard, was first noticed in a Bolivian cloud forest sanctuary. The discovery was made accidental when a man brought one of these cats to a sanctuary where Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, the study's co-lead author, volunteers.
Upon noticing the cat's unique appearance, Nogales-Ascarrunz suspected it may not be part of any known species and had it genetically tested. The results revealed that the tilcayo diverged from its closest relative, the tiger cat, around 1.4 million years ago. The study, published in Current Biology, also identified four other tiger cat species in South America.
Researchers analyzed the genomes of 38 cats, which they described as the most comprehensive genetic study yet. The exact population of tilcayos remains unknown, but the discovery emphasizes the importance of preserving the Yungas forests, where the species resides.
Written by urgent.news from Scientific American's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
