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Tiny Wild Cat Newly Identified as a Species Draws Curious Visitors in Bolivia – WTOP News
- On Thursday, scientists published a study in Current Biology identifying Leopardus tilcayo, the first new wild cat species described in more than 100 years, inhabiting the Bolivian Yungas cloud forest where the Andes Mountains meet the Amazon.
- The discovery story began around 2016 when a local man found a tiny cat near La Paz, later bringing it to the Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary where biologist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz first examined it.
- Genetic analysis of 38 individuals revealed L. tilcayo split from its lineage roughly 1.4 million years ago during the Early Pleistocene; the cat weighs three to four pounds and measures 18 inches .
- Sanctuary co-founder Marcelo Levy noted the species designation has raised awareness about protecting wild cats in Bolivia, saying "Tigrino has become, in just a few days, an ambassador for conservation."
- With this discovery, scientists have now described five distinct species of tiger cat, demonstrating the natural world still holds mysteries yet to be uncovered in remote ecosystems.
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36 Articles
36 Articles
For the first time in a century, a new species of cat has been discovered
·Borås, Sweden
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The small feline inhabits the cloudy forests of the Yungas and was identified as a distinct species after genetic analysis.
·Las Condes, Chile
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People from all over the world visited Tigrinya.
·Budapest, Hungary
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources36
Leaning Left5Leaning Right3Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 31%
C 50%
R 19%
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