Scientists have formally described the Tilcayo tiger cat, the first new living wild cat species named in more than a century.

The paper was published in the journal Current Biology on September 17, 2026. The cat’s scientific name is Leopardus tilcayo, after the name local communities used for it.

The discovery came from Tigrino, a small spotted male that has lived at Bolivia’s Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary since 2017. Genetic analysis of museum specimens and the sanctuary cat showed it was a distinct species.

The Tilcayo is smaller than a house cat. It measures about 46 cm long and weighs 1.4 kg, with a light brown coat covered in large dark rosettes.

It lives in the Yungas cloud forests of Bolivia. Scientists warn it faces threats from mining, wildfires and deforestation. Camera traps are now tracking wild populations.

The species reorganises the complex tiger-cat lineage into five distinct species. Camera traps across the Yungas are now mapping the cat’s true range.