Share to ClassroomScientists Find New Cat After 100 Years
Scientists have found a new kind of wild cat in the mountain forests of Bolivia, in South America. It is the first new cat species to be described in more than 100 years. The cat is called Leopardus tilcayo. It is about 46 centimetres long and weighs about 1.4 kilograms, so it is smaller than a normal pet cat. It has light brown fur and spots like a leopard.
A local person found the cat near the forest and thought it was a pet kitten. But it did not behave like a house cat, so it was sent to a wildlife sanctuary, a safe place for animals. There, a biologist called Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz saw that it looked different from other small spotted cats. Her team studied the DNA of 38 cats. DNA is the code inside every living thing. They found that this cat is a separate species.
Scientists still know very little about the new cat. One researcher said it "was hiding because nobody was looking". Only one living cat is confirmed: a 10-year-old male called Tigrino. Researchers believe more of these cats live in the wild. Experts may now list the cat as endangered, because its forests are being cut down and burned.
