据《当代生物学》的研究人员称，在玻利维亚发现了一种新的“虎猫”物种，这是一个多世纪以来科学家首次确认的现存猫科动物物种。
这种小型野猫的正式名称是Leopardus tilcayo（当地称为tilcayo猫），原产于玻利维亚的Yungas cloud森林，体重不超过3磅，长约18英寸，比典型的家猫要小。
一年来，一只长着豹子样斑点的“小猫”被一个当地家庭作为宠物饲养，但后来在他们认出它是野生动物后，被带到了Senda Verde野生动物保护区。
“我第一次看到它的时候，它真的真的很小，很瘦，我简直不敢相信它有多小，”国家地理探险家兼该研究的合著者Paola Nogales Ascarrunz告诉ABC新闻。
与其他“老虎猫”相比，tilcayo猫的脸很小，耳朵又小又圆，长着长长的胡须。诺加莱斯·阿斯卡伦兹发现，这与任何已知“虎猫”的参考照片都不匹配。
难以捉摸的“老虎猫”以前被认为是一个大物种，经常被误归类为其他长相相似的猫，如oncillas或margays。
由于基因测试的进步，Nogales Ascarrunz和她的研究小组能够将这种动物的基因组成与其他类似的猫进行比较，而不是依赖于传统的根据外表进行分类的方法。
通过比较保护区里的猫和博物馆里其他类似标本的整个遗传密码，研究人员能够识别出新物种和“虎猫”中的另一个新亚种。
科学家认为tilcayo猫可能是在大约140万年前从“虎猫”的共同祖先进化而来的。基因研究也有助于构建进化树，更好地了解这些野猫是如何相互关联的。
人们对猫的环境和行为知之甚少。保护区里的这只10岁的雄性猫是唯一已知的被囚禁的tilcayo猫，但是其他的猫被认为是被放置在云雾森林里的照相机捕捉到的。
“虎猫”的新分类引起了科学家们对tilcayo猫和其他类似猫科动物的保护工作的关注。通过将较大的“虎猫”群体分成较小的物种，其中一些物种现在被国际自然保护联盟认为是脆弱的。
“目前，这个生态系统正受到森林砍伐的威胁，尤其是野火。当它们不受控制时．．．他们开始破坏这个生态系统”。
随着全世界和玻利维亚当地媒体对这一发现的关注，诺加莱斯·阿斯卡龙兹说，她发现这种关注有利于保护工作。她也看到人们的兴趣从大型“雄伟”的猫科动物转移到更小更难以捉摸的猫科动物。
“我喜欢说．．．．我们总是想着重大发现”，诺加莱斯·阿斯卡伦兹补充道。“但也许这些新事物就在我们身边．．．现在有了蒂尔卡约，我们又多了一个保护这个美丽世界的理由。”
First new feline species in 100 years discovered in Bolivian forest
A new ＂tiger cat＂ species has been discovered in Bolivia， according to researchers in Current Biology， the first living feline species identified by scientists in over a century．
The small wild cat， officially known as Leopardus tilcayo （locally known as the tilcayo cat） is native to Bolivia＇s Yungas cloud forest， weighing no more than 3 pounds and approximately 18 inches long， making it smaller than the typical house cat．
For a year， a ＂kitten＂ with leopard-like spots was kept as a pet by a local family， but was later brought to the Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary after they recognized it to be a wild animal．
＂The first time I saw it， it was really， really small and skinny and I couldn＇t believe like how small it was＂， Paola Nogales Ascarrunz， a National Geographic Explorer and the co-author of the study， told ABC News．
Compared to other ＂tiger cats＂， the tilcayo cat has a small scrunched-up face， small and round ears， with long whiskers． Nogales Ascarrunz found that this did not match any reference photos of known ＂tiger cats．＂
The elusive ＂tiger cats＂ were previously thought to be one large species， and were frequently misclassified as other similar-looking cats such as the oncillas or margays．
Due to advancements in genetic testing， Nogales Ascarrunz and her research team were able to compare the genetic composition of the animal to other similar cats， instead of relying on traditional methods of sorting by appearance．
By comparing the whole genetic code of the cat at the sanctuary and other similar specimens in museums， researchers were able to identify the new species and another new subspecies within ＂tiger cats＂ as well．
Scientists believe the tilcayo cat likely evolved from a common ancestor of ＂tiger cats＂ around 1．4 million years ago． The genetic studies also helped construct an evolutionary tree， better understanding how these wild cats are related to one another．
Not much is known about the extent of the cat＇s environment or its behavior． The 10-year-old male at the sanctuary is the only known tilcayo cat in captivity， but others are believed to have been photographed by camera traps placed in the cloud forests．
The new classification of ＂tiger cats＂ has scientists concerned about conservation efforts of the tilcayo cat and other cats like it． By splitting the larger group of ＂tiger cats＂ into smaller species， some of these species are now considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature．
＂Currently， this ecosystem is threatened by deforestation， especially with wildfires． When they are not controlled ．．． they start destroying this ecosystem＂， explains Nogales Ascarrunz．
With the media attention worldwide and locally in Bolivia surrounding the discovery， Nogales Ascarrunz said she finds the attention promising to conservation efforts． She is also seeing the interest shift from larger ＂majestic＂ cats to the smaller more elusive felines．
＂I like to say ．．．． that we always think about big discoveries＂， Nogales Ascarrunz added． ＂But maybe these new things are just around us ．．． now with Tilcayo， we have one more reason to conserve this beautiful world．＂
