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(https://www.theguardian.com/environment/pollution) Pollution  (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/series/green-light) Green light                      (a woman looking at a cat)          Researcher Paola Nogales Ascarrunz observes the cat at an animal refuge in the Yungas region in Bolivia on 1 September 2026. Photograph: Fernando Faciole/National Geographic/Reuters     (new-cat-species-identified-bolivia.html#img-1)   View image in fullscreen       Researcher Paola Nogales Ascarrunz observes the cat at an animal refuge in the Yungas region in Bolivia on 1 September 2026. Photograph: Fernando Faciole/National Geographic/Reuters       (https://www.theguardian.com/world/bolivia) Bolivia     New cat species identified for first time in more than a century in Bolivia   New species of wild feline was discovered in Bolivia’s Yungas forest that is smaller than the average domestic ⁠cat         Reuters   Thu 17 Sep 2026 16.43 EDT  Last modified on Thu 17 Sep 2026 18.41 EDT   (mailto:?subject=New cat species identified for first time in more than a century in Bolivia&body=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/17/new-cat-species-identified-bolivia?CMP=share_btn_url) Share          (https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=theguardian.com) Prefer the Guardian on Google          A diminutive wild cat that inhabits Bolivia’s ⁠cloud forest has been identified as a previously unknown species, marking the first time a new living feline species has been formally named and described in more than a century. The cat, called tilcayo by local communities, is part of a group called tiger ⁠cats found across much of South ⁠America. It was found in Bolivia’s ​lush Yungas forest, a mountainous region where forests are often covered by clouds and surrounded by high humidity, according to researchers. It measures about 18in (46cm) long and weighs about 3lb (1.4kg), making it smaller than the average domestic ⁠cat.  Researchers used genetic data to confirm that the cat is a new species, and gave it the scientific name Leopardus tilcayo , retaining its local name.       (a cat walking on leaves)   (new-cat-species-identified-bolivia.html#img-2)   View image in fullscreen       A Leopardus tilcayo cat at the Senda Verde animal refuge in the Yungas region of Bolivia on 1 September 2026.  Photograph: Fernando Faciole/National Geographic/Reuters  “Its fur is light brown … with irregularly shaped rosettes across its body,” said Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, a National Geographic explorer and one of the authors ⁠of the study describing the newly identified species published on Thursday in the journal Current Biology. Little is yet known about the cat’s biology and lifestyle. Remains of small rodents in scat ​samples suggest they may form part of its diet, while camera-trap evidence indicates it ‌could be more active at night, Nogales-Ascarrunz said. Tiger ‌cats are so-called cryptic species, meaning they cannot easily be distinguished merely by appearance, said evolutionary biologist and study co-lead author Jonas Lescroart of the University of Antwerp in Belgium. Tiger ‌cats previously had been considered a single species, but genetic studies decades ago suggested the existence of multiple species.           (A wild cat)   (new-cat-species-identified-bolivia.html#img-3)   View image in fullscreen       A tilcayo cat, the only known individual of the newly identified species living in protective captivity. Photograph: Fernando Faciole/National Geographic/Reuters  Referring to the new species, Lescroart said: “Our information at this moment is limited to the two live individuals that we examined, and a small number of camera-trap records.” One of the live cats is a 10-year-old male that now lives in the Senda Verde wildlife sanctuary in Bolivia after being kept by a local family in their home. Observing the Bolivian cat drew interest because “its characteristics did not match the descriptions, most of them based on Brazilian cats”, Nogales-Ascarrunz said. “This made us wonder: what tiger cat do we actually have in Bolivia?” The team analysed DNA from 38 cats sampled across several South ‌American countries, including eight museum specimens. The study found that tiger cats are in fact five genetically distinct species. “We never expected this Bolivian tiger cat to be a separate species, and no one had ever proposed it as a different animal, subspecies or otherwise,” Lescroart said. Genetic analysis suggested ​that the tilcayo lineage separated from other tiger cats about 1.4m years ago. “The more differences in their DNA, the longer the time that we estimate those lineages to have been physically separated,” Lescroart said, adding that such a gap is generally considered a species-level divide in cats. The research team also described a new tiger cat subspecies in Peru’s Yungas region, naming it Leopardus tigrinus antisuyo after Antisuyu, the region of the old Inca empire that included the area it inhabits. The International Union for (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/conservation) Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list tracking the status of species currently treats ⁠tiger cats as two “vulnerable” species with declining populations. The researchers have shared their findings with the IUCN, whose upcoming review will assess ​the five lineages separately. That could give a more accurate picture ​of risk, Lescroart said, and species such as the tilcayo ​could be considered endangered when assessed on their own. The need for a clearer assessment is particularly acute in the Yungas, one of the ​region’s most threatened ecosystems. The mountain forests ‌face growing pressure from deforestation, agricultural ​expansion, human-caused fires and mining, Nogales-Ascarrunz said. ​Restoring forest patches damaged by fires, protecting remaining native forest and maintaining connections between habitats are urgent priorities, she added. “Showing the general public that even in a flagship group such as cats … there are still new species to be discovered may transmit an important message,” said Eduardo Eizirik, an evolutionary biologist at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil and senior author of the study. “There are many undiscovered species out there in the world, and they are at risk of disappearing before we even discover them.”         Explore more on these topics (https://www.theguardian.com/world/bolivia) Bolivia  (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/wildlife) Wildlife  (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/endangeredspecies) Endangered species  (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/iucn-red-list) IUCN red list of endangered species  (https://www.theguardian.com/world/peru) Peru  (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/biodiversity) Biodiversity  (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/conservation) Conservation  (https://www.theguardian.com/tone/news) news    (mailto:?subject=New cat species identified for first time in more than a century in Bolivia&body=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/17/new-cat-species-identified-bolivia?CMP=share_btn_url) Share     (https://syndication.theguardian.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2026%2Fsep%2F17%2Fnew-cat-species-identified-bolivia&type=article&internalpagecode=world/2026/sep/17/new-cat-species-identified-bolivia) (Reuse this content) Reuse this content                            Most viewed      Most viewed                                                               (https://www.theguardian.com/us/environment) Environment  (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-crisis) Climate crisis  (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/wildlife) Wildlife   (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/energy) Energy  (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/pollution) Pollution  (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/series/green-light) Green light       (https://www.theguardian.com/) News  (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree) Opinion  (https://www.theguardian.com/sport) Sport  (https://www.theguardian.com/culture) Culture  (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle) Lifestyle    Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning (https://www.theguardian.com/info/2018/sep/17/guardian-us-morning-briefing-sign-up-to-stay-informed) Sign up for our email     (https://www.theguardian.com/info/about-guardian-us) About us  (https://manage.theguardian.com/help-centre) Help  (https://www.theguardian.com/info/complaints-and-corrections) Complaints & corrections  (https://www.theguardian.com/info/about-guardian-us/contact) Contact us  (https://www.theguardian.com/tips) Tip us off  (https://www.theguardian.com/securedrop) SecureDrop  (https://www.theguardian.com/info/privacy) Privacy policy  (https://www.theguardian.com/info/cookies) Cookie policy  (https://uploads.guim.co.uk/2026/07/22/STL_Global_Tax_Strategy_for_the_year_to_31_March_2027.pdf) Tax strategy  (https://www.theguardian.com/help/terms-of-service) Terms & conditions   (https://www.theguardian.com/index/subjects/a) All topics  (https://www.theguardian.com/index/contributors) All writers  (https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?INTCMP=DOTCOM_FOOTER_NEWSLETTER_US) Newsletters  (https://theguardian.newspapers.com) Digital newspaper archive  (https://bsky.app/profile/us.theguardian.com) Bluesky  (https://www.facebook.com/theguardian) Facebook  (https://www.instagram.com/guardian) Instagram  (https://www.linkedin.com/company/theguardian) LinkedIn  (https://www.threads.com/@guardian_us) Threads  (https://www.tiktok.com/@guardian) TikTok  (https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGuardian) YouTube   (https://usadvertising.theguardian.com) Advertise with us  (https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-labs-us) Guardian Labs  (https://jobs.theguardian.com) Search jobs  (https://workwithus.theguardian.com/) Work with us  (https://www.theguardian.com/help/accessibility-help) Accessibility settings         (new-cat-species-identified-bolivia.html#top) Back to top      © 2026Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. 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