A new cat species was just discovered. Several more may follow

Scientists have described the tilcayo, a small spotted cat from Bolivia's Yungas cloud forests, as the first newly identified living cat species in more than a century, with genetic analysis putting its split from other tiger cats at roughly 1.4 million years ago. Researcher Tadeu Gomes de Oliveira, co-chair of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group, says the tiger-cat complex could expand from three recognized species to six or seven as genetic work continues.

Oliveira notes the taxonomy fights are not academic trivia: if the pampas cat is formally split, a subpopulation called munoai, of which he estimates only about 200 remain, would gain the species status needed to unlock conservation funding. A taxonomy task force reviews such proposals before changes are adopted by the IUCN all at once rather than piecemeal.

The interview also covers the Cat Specialist Group's structure, including its new policy of co-chairs from both the small-cat and big-cat research communities.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.