Overview
- The study published in Current Biology on Sunday formally described Leopardus tilcayo and concluded that tiger cats once grouped together actually represent five distinct species after whole‑genome comparisons of 38 modern and museum samples.
- The formal description depends on just two known living Bolivian individuals, including a captive male called Tigrino that the authors designated as the type specimen.
- Tigrino and field measurements show the tilcayo is very small at roughly 46 centimeters in body length and about 1.4–3 kilograms, making it smaller than the average house cat.
- Researchers have begun deploying camera traps and field surveys to map the species’ range and numbers, and teams are preparing conservation follow‑ups including likely submissions to the IUCN for reassessment.
- The finding relied on sequencing of museum material to reveal cryptic lineages, and splitting tiger cats could raise threat levels for some newly defined species because existing IUCN listings treat broader groups as vulnerable while regional threats include habitat loss, trafficking and disease from domestic animals.