Tilcayo cat FAQ — every question, answered
The first new wild cat species in over a century naturally raises a lot of questions. Here are the answers to everything people are asking about Leopardus tilcayo — in plain English, with sources.
What is a tilcayo cat?
The tilcayo cat (Leopardus tilcayo) is a small wild cat species from Bolivia’s Yungas cloud forest, formally described in the journal Current Biology in September 2026. It is the first living cat species new to science in more than 100 years. “Tilcayo” is the name local communities use for the animal.
Is the tilcayo cat real or a hoax?
Real. The species was described in a peer-reviewed paper in Current Biology based on genetic analysis of 38 individuals — including 8 museum specimens — plus morphological evidence. The announcement was covered by BBC Wildlife, New Scientist and news agencies worldwide in September 2026.
What does “tilcayo” mean?
Tilcayo is the name that local communities in Bolivia use for this cat. Researchers deliberately chose it as the species name to honor the communities’ ancestral knowledge of the animal. In Chinese media the species is rendered as 蒂尔卡约虎猫.
Where does the tilcayo cat live?
In the Yungas — humid mountain cloud forests on the eastern slopes of the Bolivian Andes, in the Andes–Amazon transition zone. Its full geographic range is not yet known; camera-trap surveys are underway to find wild populations.
How many tilcayo cats are there?
Only two living individuals have been confirmed so far. One — a ten-year-old male — lives at the Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary in Bolivia; he was surrendered by a local family around 2017. The total wild population is unknown.
How big is the tilcayo cat?
It measures about 45–46 cm (18 in) from nose to the end of its body and weighs roughly 1.3–1.4 kg (about 3 lb) — smaller than the average domestic cat, which typically weighs 4–5 kg.
What does the tilcayo cat look like?
It has muted, pale-brown fur with large, irregular rosette markings — bigger than the small solid spots of the oncilla — a larger and more slender tail than related tiger cats, and rounded, teddy-bear-like ears.
How is the tilcayo different from an oncilla or margay?
From the oncilla: larger irregular rosettes, a larger more slender tail, and muted pale-brown coat color. From the margay: the margay is bigger (2.6–4 kg), richer in color, and famously tree-climbing. Genetics is the only definitive identification method.
What does the tilcayo cat eat?
Scat samples have contained remains of small rodents, indicating small mammals are part of its diet. Like other tiger cats, it probably feeds mainly on small rodents, possibly supplemented by birds, lizards and insects.
Is the tilcayo cat nocturnal?
Camera-trap evidence suggests it is active at night, consistent with other tiger cats across South America. Confirmation from wild populations is pending.
When did the tilcayo lineage split from other tiger cats?
Genetic dating suggests about 1.4 million years ago — the Yungas population evolved in isolation long before modern humans existed.
Who discovered the tilcayo cat?
A team led by Paola Nogales Ascarrunz, a Bolivian wild cat conservationist and National Geographic Explorer, together with collaborators including Eduardo Eizirik of Brazil’s PUCRS. The trail began when Ascarrunz met the surrendered cat at Senda Verde sanctuary while volunteering.
What is the scientific name of the tilcayo cat?
Leopardus tilcayo. The genus Leopardus contains the small spotted cats of the Americas, including the ocelot, margay and oncilla.
Why is the discovery important?
It is the first new cat species described in over a century, and it revealed that the wide-ranging “tiger cat” was actually five distinct species — reshaping range maps, population estimates and conservation priorities across South America.
Is the tilcayo cat endangered?
It has not yet been formally assessed by the IUCN as a separate species; the new results have been submitted for assessment. Its tiger cat relatives are listed as Vulnerable with declining populations. With only two confirmed living individuals, the tilcayo is considered extremely rare.
What are the main threats to the tilcayo cat?
Deforestation, agricultural expansion, human-caused fires and mining — all of which are putting pressure on the Yungas cloud forest it depends on.
Can you keep a tilcayo cat as a pet?
No. It is a protected wild species. The one known captive individual lives in a professional sanctuary after being surrendered by a family that had kept him at home — a situation researchers cite as exactly what wildlife protection aims to prevent.
Where is Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary?
On the banks of the Yolosa River in Bolivia’s Yungas region. It is home to the only known captive tilcayo cat, who has lived there since around 2017.
What other species were described in the same paper?
The Current Biology paper formally describes Leopardus guttulus, L. emiliae, L. pardinoides and L. tigrinus as distinct species, plus a new Peruvian subspecies, L. tigrinus antisuyo.
Are there more undiscovered cat species?
Possibly. The same genetic toolkit that revealed the tilcayo can be applied to other “widespread” small cats. Biologists note that tropical forests like the Yungas remain among the least-studied areas in the Neotropics.
How was the tilcayo cat discovered?
Through a decade-long chain of events: a family surrendered an unusual cat to Senda Verde sanctuary in 2017; researcher Paola Nogales Ascarrunz encountered it while volunteering; genetic and morphological analysis eventually proved it belonged to an undescribed species, formally named in 2026.
What is being done to protect the tilcayo cat?
Researchers are deploying camera traps in the Yungas to document wild populations; the IUCN will assess all five tiger-cat lineages; and the species’ global fame is drawing attention — and hopefully resources — to Yungas forest protection.