New Wild Cat Species Identified in Bolivia

Bolivia. Scientists have identified a new wild cat species in the jungles of the South American country of Bolivia. This small cat species, named Leopardus tigrinus, has only one living member found so far. The scientists have named the new species Tigrina cat, and a 10-year-old cat in a Bolivian wildlife rescue center has been nicknamed 'Tigrino'. This animal, which looks like a domestic cat in size, has leopard-like spots on its body and stripes on its forehead. For this reason, it was mistaken for other small wild cats found in South and Central America for a long time. However, new genetic studies have shown that this cat is different from other species. Researchers collected DNA from live cats as well as preserved specimens in museums and studied the lineage of the 'Tiger Cat' group. Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, a scientist at Universidad Mayor de San Andrés in La Paz, Bolivia, discovered that Tigrino looked different from other cats while volunteering at a rescue center. Tigrino was found in the jungle by a local resident. Initially, he thought it was a kitten of a domestic cat. But as it grew older, its behavior was seen to be very different from that of a domestic cat. Nogales-Ascarrunz also learned about local records and accounts of similar small wild cats seen in the dense forests of Bolivia's Yungas region. However, these incidents had not been scientifically investigated. After this, she collaborated with researchers from various countries to advance the study of the genetics and evolution of the Tiger Cat group. According to Eduardo Izarick, a conservation geneticist from Brazil, this species remained outside the scope of scientific research for a long time due to the lack of sufficient samples, photographs, and museum records.

Five species of 'Tiger Cat'