Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 05:34am on 18 Sep 2026,Friday Weather & Environment
Scientists have identified Leopardus tilcayo, a small spotted tiger cat from Bolivia’s Yungas forest, marking the first new living cat species scientifically described in more than 100 years. The cat weighs about three pounds and is smaller than an average domestic cat. Researchers used genomic analysis to confirm that it is genetically distinct from other tiger cats and diverged from them around 1.4 million years ago. The species was initially mistaken for another tiger cat after being found as a kitten in 2016. Scientists say much about its behaviour and ecology remains unknown, highlighting the need for further research and conservation.
