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First New Wild Cat Species in a Century Found in Bolivia
- Researchers published a study on Thursday in Current Biology identifying Leopardus tilcayo as a new tiger cat species, marking the first novel feline discovered in over 100 years.
- Biologist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, a National Geographic Explorer, began investigating the 'weird cat' after receiving a 2016 call from a Bolivian wildlife sanctuary; the animal had been mistaken for a domestic kitten.
- Genomic comparisons revealed L. tilcayo diverged from other lineages around 1.4 million years ago and inhabits Bolivia's Yungas cloud forest, weighing just 3 to 4 pounds and smaller than a house cat.
- Evolutionary biologist Jonas Lescroart from the University of Antwerp said the discovery "is definitely expected to increase conservation attention," with researchers calling for re-evaluation of species previously grouped under a single label.
- Future research will install camera traps in Bolivia's Yungas region to track L. tilcayo populations while preserving traditional knowledge; local communities have recognized the cat as 'tilcayo' for generations.
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The discovery of the Leopardus Tilcayo is the first description of a new cat species in over 100 years.
·Zürich, Switzerland
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Leopardus tilcayo identified as new species of wild cat in Bolivia – It weighs just 2 kilos and DNA analysis reveals that its evolutionary line split 1.4 million years ago The post The tiger cat that was hidden from science for a century appeared first on in.gr.
·Greece
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Alabama Live+8 Reposted by 8 other sources
Meet world’s newest wild cat, first in more than century
A previously unknown cat species has been identified at a wildlife sanctuary in Bolivia.
·Birmingham, United States
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Total News Sources614
Leaning Left82Leaning Right65Center174Last UpdatedBias Distribution54% Center
Bias Distribution
- 54% of the sources are Center
54% Center
L 26%
C 54%
R 20%
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