After more than a century science has gained a new species of wild cat.

In mid-September 2026 an international team of biologists described a new species of wild cat that lives in the cloud forests of the Bolivian Andes. The small cat, named tilcayo, became the first new species in the cat family that has been scientifically described in more than a hundred years. The discovery is surprising even for experts, because cats, like most large mammals, are considered very well studied.

The tilcayo belongs to the group of so-called tiger cats, small wild cats that live in the forests of Central and South America. Because they look almost identical, biologists considered them a single species for a long time. The team, led by the Bolivian biologist Paola Nogales Ascarrunz, therefore relied on genetics. The scientists analysed the genetic material of more than 30 cats from several South American countries, including old specimens from museums in the US and Europe. The results showed that tiger cats actually belong to at least five separate species. The tilcayo lineage split from the lineages of its closest relatives about 1.4 million years ago.

The tilcayo is a small and slender cat, smaller than an average house cat. The only measured male has a length of about 45 centimetres, and weighs less than one and a half kilograms. The muted colour of its fur, unusually large spots and a longer tail set it apart from its relatives. The scientists took the name from local communities, who have called the cat tilcayo for generations. In this way they wanted to acknowledge the knowledge that indigenous residents have about this animal.

For now scientists can observe only one tilcayo up close. It is a male about ten years old, which lives in the animal refuge Senda Verde, not far from the city of La Paz. A few years ago a local family handed it over to the refuge, after the animal had lived with them as a pet.

At the same time the discovery raises concern as well. The cloud forests in the Yungas region, where the Andes descend towards the Amazon basin, are among the richest ecosystems in the world, but are being destroyed rapidly. The clearing of forests, the expansion of agriculture and mining are shrinking the space for wild animals. Because no one knows the size of the population or where exactly the species lives, scientists believe that the tilcayo probably has been endangered ever since the day of its scientific discovery. And only a species that has been officially described can be added to the lists of endangered species and receive protection.

That is why Nogales Ascarrunz and her colleagues are setting up automatic cameras in the Yungas forests. The footage should show where the species lives and how common it is, but the task is not easy, because in photographs the tilcayo easily gets mistaken for related species. The story of the small cat from Bolivia reminds us that in the 21st century too the planet hides unknown species, even among well-studied mammals. At the same time it shows how quickly they can disappear, even before science gets to know them.