Sustainability Corner: The discovery of Leopardus tilcayo
Photo Courtesy of Paola Nogales- Wikimedia Commons
The Leopardus tilcayo in its home forest, living in secrecy from the world.
The forests of Bolivia have led scientists to discover a new species of cat that has been named Leopardus tilcayo, according to National Geographic. Leopardus tilcayo, also known as a tilcayo tiger cat, is a very small wild cat species with a striking spotted pattern and round ears, as described by NBC News. The discovery of the Leopardus tilcayo is even more exciting due to it being the first wild cat species discovered in “more than 100 years,” as per National Geographic.
The first tiger cat was located at Sende Verde Wildlife Sanctuary by Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, who specializes in wild cat conservation. The cat was first taken in by a local resident who believed it to be a normal house cat. However, as it grew older, it became apparent that the cat was actually a wild cat and the resident brought it to the sanctuary, as explained by BBC. Specialists have confirmed that the cat is around 10 years old and weighs three pounds.
Once it was brought in, Nogales-Ascarrunz used genetic testing to confirm that the Leopardus tilcayo was a newly discovered species. She used tissue samples from the new feline and one from another cat species, and the results showed that both cats came from the same lineage but were two different species, as explained by NBC News. Dr Caroline Sartor, a Wildlife Conservation Researcher at the University of Oxford, said, “These are animals similar in size to a domestic cat, so you might think we would know them all by now, but this discovery shows how much biodiversity is still to be uncovered in some of the less-studied regions of the world.”
In South America, five tiger cat species are identified and monitored. There is only one confirmed member of the Leopardus tilcayo species and conservationists will continue to search for more. Even without knowing how many members of this species exist, it is likely that this new tiger cat is threatened by extinction. Tiger cat species are very vulnerable and action needs to be taken to preserve them. Cameras will be installed throughout the surrounding forests in an attempt at spotting more of the wild cats and to monitor activity.
Forests in Bolivia are facing the threat of deforestation and mining, which would impact not only the wild cats, but many other species as well. Evolutionary biologist, Jonas Lescroart, said, “We should make haste in doing these kinds of discoveries, because all of this biodiversity is under pressure, and it's disappearing as we speak.” Specialists have also revealed that Leopardus tilcayo is a very shy creature and does not pose a threat to both humans and other wildlife so far. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) considers most tiger species vulnerable to extinction, which further enforces why specialists are urgently attempting to find out more about the species in order to protect them, according to Newsweek.
When asked about the naming of the new cat species, Nogales-Ascarrunz said, “We chose to name the [newly described] species ‘Tilcayo’ – the name local communities use to describe the cat…It’s our way of honouring their ancestral knowledge and connection to this animal,” according to BBC Wildlife. Eduardo Eizirik, an evolutionary biologist, said, “There are many undiscovered species out there in the world, and they are at risk of disappearing before we even discover them.”