Overview
- A peer‑reviewed paper published on Thursday in Current Biology formally names Leopardus tilcayo after genome and museum‑DNA analyses that show the tiger‑cat complex comprises five distinct species.
- Researchers examined DNA from 38 tiger‑cat individuals, including eight museum specimens, and estimate the Tilcayo lineage diverged from other tiger cats about 1.4 million years ago.
- Knowledge of the Tilcayo is very limited: scientists have examined two live individuals so far and rely on a handful of camera‑trap records and scat samples for diet and activity clues.
- The authors have shared their results with the IUCN for separate reassessments, a step that could raise the Tilcayo’s threat level because the Yungas cloud forest faces deforestation, fires, agricultural expansion and mining.
- The species name preserves the local vernacular 'Tilcayo' and researchers say urgent field surveys, expanded camera‑trapping and community collaboration are needed to define the cat’s population size, ecology and conservation needs.