Before the tilcayo came along, one of the last comparable “new” wild cat species was the Uruguayan pampas cat, which was formally named in 1923. The funny part is that the animal itself was obviously not new. People had known about it for a long time, and a Uruguayan naturalist had written about it much earlier. Scientists just needed a very long time to sort out exactly where it belonged in the giant, messy cat family tree.
Even recently, researchers have gone back through old records to untangle which pampas cats are actually different species and which ones were lumped together by mistake. Basically, cat taxonomy is a lot like owning cats: just when you think you have everything organized, someone knocks the whole thing off the shelf.
A 2022 study published in Therya revisited the naturalist's descriptions and the tangled taxonomy of his pampas cat discovery. They argued that the old name should apply to a distinct population found around Uruguay and neighboring regions. In other words, scientists are still opening up the feline filing cabinet and realizing that some cats may have been placed in the wrong order.
That's why this new Bolivia cat story is so much fun! It's a reminder that there are still furry little meowsteries out there waiting for us.
Considering its size and coat, it could easily be mistaken for a wild-looking Bengal cat. We've seen Bengal cats that look 0.0000001% genetically away from a leopard or a cheetah. When you take its size into account, it's not so far-fetched to get confused. Not like the purrson that rescued a puma kitten and didn't know it was a puma. Come on, as much as I would love to take home a puma kitten, you can tell when a kitten is not a domestic kitten. Notably, by the size of their enormous paws.
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