That is 0 articles you have read today.
The Aporia is free and carries no advertising, so readers are the only
thing paying for it. If you are getting this much out of it, a small
donation is what keeps it independent.
Daily limit reached
You have read 0 articles today.
That is more than the 15 a day The Aporia gives away,
and well past what it can carry on nothing. Your allowance resets at
midnight.
There is no advertising here and nothing about you is sold, so readers
are the only thing paying for it. If the site is worth this much of
your day, it is worth a few dollars.
Everything else stays open: the
maps, the
directory and
search do
not count against this, and neither does re-opening something you have
already read today.
Scientists have identified a new species of wild cat called "tilcayo" in Bolivia's cloud forests, marking the first discovery of a living feline species in over 100 years. The tilcayo measures 46cm long and weighs about 1.4kg, with distinct light brown fur featuring irregular rosettes. Researchers used DNA analysis from samples across South America to confirm that tiger cats actually consist of five genetically distinct species, including the newly identified Leopardus tilcayo and a new subspecies in Peru's Yungas forest named Leopardus tigrinus antisuyo.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
A tiny wild cat that lives in Bolivia’s lush cloud forests has been identified as a previously unknown species, marking the first time in more than a century that a new living feline species has been formally named and described.
asserted
species → live → century
Called “tilcayo” by local communities, the cat is part of a group called tiger cats, which are found across much of South America.
asserted
which → call → America
Recommended Stories
list of 2 items- list 1 of 2Trump administration moves to end rule protecting swaths of forest land
- list 2 of 2Singapore’s plans to clear forest for homes lead to rare public protests
It was discovered in the Yungas forest, a mountainous region where forests are often covered by clouds and surrounded by high humidity, according to the researchers.
uncertain
forests → end → researchers
Given the scientific name Leopardus tilcayo, the cat measures 46cm (18 inches) long and weighs about 1.4kg (3 pounds), making it smaller than an average domestic cat.
asserted
it → give → cat
“Its fur is light brown … with irregularly shaped rosettes across its body,” according to Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, a National Geographic Explorer and one of the authors of the study describing the newly identified species published on Thursday in the journal Current Biology.
uncertain
fur → shape → journal
Little is known about the cat’s biology and lifestyle.
asserted
Little → know → biology
Remains of small rodents in scat samples suggest they may form part of its diet, while camera-trap evidence indicates it could be more active at night, Nogales-Ascarrunz said.
uncertain
Ascarrunz → suggest → night
Tiger cats are so-called cryptic species, meaning they cannot easily be distinguished merely by appearance, evolutionary biologist and study co-lead author Jonas Lescroart of the University of Antwerp in Belgium said.
asserted
Lescroart → call → Belgium
Observing the Bolivian cat drew interest because “its characteristics did not match the descriptions, most of them based on Brazilian cats”, Nogales-Ascarrunz said.
asserted
Ascarrunz → observe → cats
“This made us wonder, what tiger cat do we actually have in Bolivia?
asserted
we → make → Bolivia
The team analysed DNA from 38 cats sampled across several South American countries, including eight museum specimens.
asserted
team → analyse → specimens
The study found that tiger cats are in fact five genetically distinct species.
asserted
cats → find → fact
“We never expected this Bolivian tiger cat to be a separate species, and no one had ever proposed it as a different animal, subspecies or otherwise,” Jonas Lescroart said.
asserted
Lescroart → expect → animal
Genetic analysis suggested that the tilcayo lineage separated from other tiger cats about 1.4 million years ago.
uncertain
lineage → suggest → cats
The research team also described a new tiger cat subspecies in Peru’s Yungas, naming it Leopardus tigrinus antisuyo, after Antisuyu, the region of the old Inca Empire that included the area it inhabits.
asserted
it → describe → area
The Aporia
