Overview
- A peer-reviewed study published Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, used whole-genome sequencing and DNA from museum specimens to show the Yungas felid is genetically distinct and to propose the name Leopardus tilcayo.
- The discovery began with a kitten nicknamed Tigrino that was found near a Yungas road, lived with a local family, was taken to Senda Verde sanctuary around 2017, and remains there because it is too imprinted on people to be released.
- Researchers report the tilcayo is very small (about 45–46 cm head-to-body and ~1.3–1.4 kg), has large irregular rosettes and a long thin tail, and genomic dating places its split from close relatives at roughly 1.4 million years ago.
- Confirmed wild records are scarce — two live individuals examined plus a few camera-trap detections — so teams have deployed camera traps and genetic sampling across the Yungas and shared results with the IUCN for separate risk assessments.
- The study also splits the former 'gato tigre' group into at least five species, shows how museomics can reveal cryptic diversity, and raises conservation concern because the Yungas face deforestation, mining, agricultural fires and human–wildlife conflict.