A tiny, new predator has emerged from the Bolivian cloud forest

Nature · Published 7 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: For the first time in over a century, scientists have identified a new wild cat species. Smaller than a house cat and weighing only a few pounds, the tilcayo was hidden in plain sight, discovered not by a researcher, but by a local man who mistook it for a domestic kitten.

The discovery of the tilcayo (L. tilcayo) began around 2016 near La Paz, when a local resident found a small feline on a forest road. Believing it to be a domestic kitten, he cared for it with a diet of rice, eggs, and noodles. It was only after a year that the animal was brought to the Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary, where biologist Paola Nogiment-Ascarrunz first encountered a male specimen nicknamed Tigrino. The animal's appearance is characterized by light brown fur and a very petite frame. This specific specimen, Tigrino, possessed notably rounded ears and a distinct tail shape.

While the cat's appearance—featuring large, irregular rosettes and a small face—initially suggested it might be a northern tiger cat (Leopardus tigrinus), closer inspection and genetic testing revealed a distinct species. A study published on September 17 in Current Biology confirmed this divergence. The researchers chose the name 'tilcayo' to honor local traditional knowledge, even though the linguistic origins of the word in indigenous languages remain unclear. The researchers, including study co-author Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, noted that the creature's physical traits, such as its unusually large spots, did not match the known oncilla. This discovery serves as a profound reminder that the natural world remains full of mysteries.

Genetic analysis of 38 individuals from the Leopardus genus suggests the tilcayo lineage split approximately 1.4 million years ago during the Early Pleistocene. This era of intense climate fluctuation saw tropical lowlands transform into dry savannas, while montane forests served as 'climatic refugia.' This habitat fragmentation likely isolated populations, driving the genetic divergence that created this new species. While scientists still know very little about the tilcayo's lifestyle, scat samples suggest a diet of small rodents, and camera footage indicates they may be nocturnal. The species inhabits the Bolivian Yungas, a region where the Amazon basin meets the eastern slopes of the Andes. This evolutionary separation occurred as glaciers moved across the landscape, leaving humid montane forests as isolated pockets of life.

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