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A new species of wild cat living in the cloud forests of Bolivia has been identified as an unknown species. This event comes more than a century after the last description of a new cat species.
Cloud Forests and New Discovery
The new wild cat, known as 'Tilkayo', was discovered in the Yungas forests of Bolivia. This mountainous region is known for its cloudy cover and high humidity, providing a natural habitat for various animal species. The Tilkayo cat averages ٤٦ centimeters in length and weighs about ١.٤ kilograms, making it smaller than a domestic cat.
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Physical Characteristics and Behaviors of the Tilkayo Cat
Paola Nogales-Ascaron, one of the researchers of this study and a National Geographic explorer, explains that the fur of this cat is light brown and decorated with irregular spots. Currently, there is not much information available about the biology and behavior of this cat, but evidence of small rodents in the cat's fecal samples suggests they may form part of its diet. Additionally, evidence from camera traps indicates that this cat is likely more active at night.
Tiger cats, known as enigmatic species, are not easily identifiable based solely on appearance. Younes Lescroart, an evolutionary biologist and one of the lead authors of this study, states that the characteristics of the Bolivian cat do not fully match existing descriptions, which are mostly based on Brazilian cats, raising questions about the exact type of tiger cats in Bolivia.
The research team analyzed DNA from ٣٨ cats collected from several South American countries, including eight museum specimens, and found that tiger cats are actually five distinct genetic species. Younes Lescroart further states, 'We never expected that this Bolivian tiger cat would be a separate species, and no one has ever suggested it as a different animal or another subspecies.'
Genetic analyses show that the Tilkayo lineage diverged from other tiger cats about ١.٤ million years ago. Additionally, the research team also described a new subspecies of tiger cat in the Yungas of Peru, naming it 'Leopardus tigrinus antisuyo', derived from the ancient Inca Empire region of Antisuyu.
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