Overview
- The study published Friday in Current Biology used full-genome data from 38 Leopardus samples to show the Bolivian Yungas population is a separate species and named it Leopardus tilcayo.
- Researchers estimate the Tilcayo lineage split from its nearest relatives about 1.4 million years ago, a level of genetic separation the team says justifies species status.
- Only two living individuals have been genetically sampled so far and a few camera-trap records exist, so the species’ range, population size and basic ecology remain unknown.
- The discovery matters for people on the ground because local communities already call the animal 'tilcayo' and one individual lived with a family before moving to the Senda Verde wildlife center.
- Authors and conservation groups say the next steps are urgent: targeted camera trapping, more museum and field sampling, ecological studies of diet and behavior, and separate IUCN assessments that could raise the species’ threat listing.