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Tiny Wild Cat Newly Identified as a Species Draws Curious Visitors in Bolivia – WTOP News
Genetic testing showed the tilcayo split from related tiger cats about 1.4 million years ago, raising conservation concerns for Bolivia’s cloud forests.
- On Thursday, scientists published a study in Current Biology identifying Leopardus tilcayo, the first new wild cat species described in more than 100 years, inhabiting the Bolivian Yungas cloud forest where the Andes Mountains meet the Amazon.
- The discovery story began around 2016 when a local man found a tiny cat near La Paz, later bringing it to the Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary where biologist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz first examined it.
- Genetic analysis of 38 individuals revealed L. tilcayo split from its lineage roughly 1.4 million years ago during the Early Pleistocene; the cat weighs three to four pounds and measures 18 inches .
- Sanctuary co-founder Marcelo Levy noted the species designation has raised awareness about protecting wild cats in Bolivia, saying "Tigrino has become, in just a few days, an ambassador for conservation."
- With this discovery, scientists have now described five distinct species of tiger cat, demonstrating the natural world still holds mysteries yet to be uncovered in remote ecosystems.
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Newly Identified Tiny Wild Cat Does Not Like His Celebrity
A tiny wild cat hidden away in the cloud forests of Bolivia has become an unlikely tourist attraction, drawing a stream of visitors hanging for a glimpse of the animal that scientists have identified as a brand new species. There is just one problem: Tigrino, as he has been affectionately...
·Miami, United States
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It has been confirmed by DNA analysis, and only one living specimen is known. A new species of wildcat has not been described for over 100 years.
·Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources18
Leaning Left4Leaning Right0Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution57% Left
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources lean Left
57% Left
L 57%
C 43%
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