Thanks for the link!
Posted on 09/17/2026 2:44:44 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Named Leopardus tilcayo, the new cat looks not unlike a leopard that shrank to the size of a house kitten.
A new cat has been discovered in Bolivia, the first time in more than a century that scientists have confirmed a new feline species in the world.
Named Leopardus tilcayo, after the word by which locals referred to it, the cat weighs roughly five pounds, is spotted with a slender body and has a light brown coat patterned with dark rosettes, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Current Biology.
It looks not unlike a leopard that shrank to the size of a house kitten.
In fact, biologist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz told National Geographic that when she first saw the cat at a Bolivian wildlife sanctuary in 2016, she assumed it was a member of the Leopardus tigrinus species, which have similar leopard-like markings and had been discovered in the late 18th century.
However, Nogales-Ascarrunz noticed that the cat in Bolivia had larger rosettes than existing illustrations of Leopardus tigrinus. Subsequent genetic tests confirmed it was an entirely new species.
“Our world is extremely complex,” Nogales-Ascarrunz told the magazine. “Sometimes we think that most of it is known, that there’s not a whole lot to discover, but in fact, it’s the other way around.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I bet it freely breeds with other variants of the species.
My suggestion is it is really a color variant subspecies.
The purpose of creating endlessly different species out of subspecies, is to define more and more of the world to inviolate by the human species.
Hubby wants one, too, just like me.
it’s universal, most people love cats
Mrs. Slim asked how do you know it isn’t psycho? My reply is how do you know that with any cat?
Thanks for the link!
I want a lynx kitten. Or a bobcat.
Your Maine Coons could play with my Maine Coon.
Splitters gotta split.
Pink panther vacations in Bolivia fame ensues.
I have 4 house cats and I doubt that would kill anything. A mouse could probably take over their food bowl.
Pallas's cats and Chinese mountain/desert cats look a lot like house cats, but haven't been domesticated and are presumed to be undomesticateable.
I would say that the Pallas cat even looks a little Chinese, but that would be racist.
Extra fur and fat help for living in the wild on cold nights.
Chinese mountain/desert/wild cat might be mistaken for a housecat/racoon crossbreed.
I Live in a trailer park with many feral cats. They feast on the mice that come in from the fields and birds. Cats are natural hunters. Have you ever seen a cat eat a mouse—they get a weird look on their face like its a narcotic. One they eat one mouse, they want more only eating cat food if they must.
Don't turn your back on ese gato.
Oh yeah, all my cats were indoor-outdoor till the ones I have now. Used to open the door to as many as 5 mice stacked on the step. Furry little killers would kill at least one a day.
Now the indoor cats I have now would probably run away if a mouse looked at them wrong. I don’t think they can kill time, even.
I want one.
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