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First new cat species discovered in a century
The gist
Researchers named Leopardus tilcayo, a Bolivian tiger cat.
The cloud-forest cat's habitat is threatened by deforestation.
How it unfolded
- 2013A study showed the then-single tiger cat species, Leopardus tigrinus, was actually at least two species, leading to official recognition of the southern tiger cat (Leopardus guttulus).
- 2016Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz took about a hundred photos of the unusual cat, which she was fascinated by.
- 2019While working on a booklet about Bolivian wild cats, Nogales-Ascarrunz revisited her 2016 photos.