Cat’s out of the bag. Meet the newly discovered cat species

Stalking through Bolivia’s cloud forest in South America is a feline a bit smaller than a house cat that was unknown to science until now.

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Leopardus tilcayo is the first species of cat discovered in over a century, according to a new study published by CellPress. Local communities call the cat tilcayo.

“The discovery of the tilcayo will hopefully help to free up resources for the conservation of tiger cat populations, which are often in a vulnerable position,” Jonas Lescroart, the evolutionary biologist who co-led the study with cat conservationist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, said in a statement emailed to USA TODAY. “At the same time, this new species draws attention to the incredible ecological richness of Bolivia.”

Although the cat had never been formally named or described until now, the study said it was “widely known” in the area where it lived. Researchers used genetic data to confirm the cat was a new species and proposed that its common name be “tilcayo.”

“We decided to keep the name ’tilcayo,’ the name used by local communities for this cat,” said Nogales-Ascarrunz, who is also a National Geographic Explorer. “For us, it was also a way of recognizing and preserving the local knowledge connected to this species.”

Here’s what to know.

Tilcayo, a tiger cat

The tilcayo is part of a group of cats found across South America called “tiger cats,” a news release emailed to USA TODAY stated.

Until 2013, it was previously thought to include only one species, according to Lescroart. But it actually includes five, including the tilcayo. Researchers call the group a “cryptic species” because, while they are genetically different, they look alike.

“They look very similar, and so at a glance, they’re very hard to tell apart,” Lescroart said. “So you do need genetic research to really get in the nitty-gritty of this.”

What does the cat look like?

The tilcayo is smaller than your typical house cat and looks similar. It has yellow eyes, pointed ears and a long tail.

Photos show leopard-like patterns across its body, with two black vertical stripes running from the top of its head to its eyes. It also has horizontal stripes near its mouth and cheeks, and black fur around its eyes.

Where was the newly discovered cat found?

Researchers found the cat in Bolivia’s Yungas forest in the Andes Mountains in South America. It is called a “cloud forest” because it’s in a mountainous area usually covered by clouds, Reuters reported.

It often rains in the forest, and there is high humidity, which mainly comes from clouds that move through the trees and plants in the area, according to the Community Cloud Forest Conservation.

The Yungas are one of the more threatened ecosystems, Reuters reported. Multiple factors put it at risk, including deforestation, agricultural expansion, human-caused fires and mining, according to Nogales-Ascarrunz.

Museum samples contribute to discoveries

Researchers lacked key information on a tiger cat found in the Guiana region in South America, but sightings of the cat are rare, and researchers could not obtain a blood sample or other genetic material for their research.

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“We had a key missing puzzle piece when we were trying to get genetic data from all the different tiger cats,” Lescroart told USA TODAY.

So instead, Lescroart traveled to Washington, DC, to collect samples from skulls kept by the Smithsonian, which has the world’s largest mammal collection of more than 600,000 specimens.

“We could not have confirmed that tiger cats in Bolivia make up a separate species without access to well-preserved tiger cat specimens collected in the 1960s,” Lescroart said in a statement. “Museum collections offer huge value for present-day genetic research.”

The tilcayo could be classified as endangered

Although it was only recently discovered, the tilcayo could be classified as endangered, but more research is needed.

According to Reuters, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categorized tiger cats as two species that are “vulnerable” and said their populations are declining. Researchers submitted their research to the organization, which will look at the species separately.

This could give a more accurate analysis of the risk tiger cat species face.

Once more accurate assessments are done, the tilcayo may be considered an endangered species, reported Reuters.

Tiger cats as a whole are threatened by habitat loss, hunting and diseases that can be contracted from feral dogs, according to the news release. Their habitats are also greatly affected by climate change, which can further limit the areas where they can live.

Habitat fragmentation, which occurs when swaths of habitat are destroyed and create smaller, disconnected areas, is another threat tiger cats face, Nogales-Ascarrunz said. It increases the risk of inbreeding and reduces genetic diversity.

Humans are also a threat, as they can kill the cats to protect their chicken flocks from becoming prey.

Low genetic diversity can reduce their ability to adapt to a changing environment.

“The Earth’s biodiversity is still poorly known, to the extent that even in a charismatic group such as cats there are still new species to be discovered,” the news release stated. “And yet, it is being rapidly lost. Speeding up such discoveries and using them to enable conservation strategies for the Earth’s natural habitats are more important than ever.”

USA TODAY has reached out to the IUCN for more information.

Contributing: Reuters

Julia Gomez is a Trending reporter for USA TODAY and covers space phenomena, scientific studies and natural disasters. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cat’s out of the bag. Meet the newly discovered cat species

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Reporting by Julia Gomez, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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This story was originally published September 18, 2026 at 11:08 AM.