科学家在玻利维亚安第斯山脉东坡的云盖森林中发现了一种新的野生猫科动物，学名为豹纹猫（Leopardus tilcayo）1。这是100年来首次发现的新猫科物种1。生物学家帕奥拉·诺加莱斯-阿斯卡伦茨于2016年首次发现该动物，最近的遗传学分析研究已发表在《当代生物学》期刊上1。诺加莱斯-阿斯卡伦茨表示："这是一个了不起的事件，因为在过去100年里还没有发现过新的野生猫科物种"1。
新物种体长约18英寸，体重约3磅，毛皮浅褐色，身体上有不规则的玫瑰花纹1。通过DNA分析，研究人员确认了这个物种的独特性，同时发现豹猫属物种数量由原来认为的3种增至5种2。这一发现使全球已知猫科动物物种数从41种增加到44种或更多2。
目前仅有一只已确认的活体成员，是一只10岁的母猫，现住在玻利维亚的一家救援庇护所，昵称为"Tigrino"2。该物种迄今仅在玻利维亚被发现1。诺加莱斯-阿斯卡伦茨指出："迄今为止，它仅在玻利维亚被发现，在地球上其他任何地方都没有发现过"1。这个物种面临森林砍伐、栖息地丧失和非法狩猎的威胁2。
Scientists have identified a previously unknown wild cat species in Bolivia's cloud forests, marking the first discovery of a new feline species in over 100 years.13 The species, scientifically named Leopardus tilcayo, was first encountered in 2016 by biologist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz and has now been confirmed through genetic analysis published in Current Biology.12
The newly identified cat measures approximately 18 inches in length and weighs about 3 pounds, with light brown fur marked by irregular rosette patterns.1 Nogales-Ascarrunz described the discovery as "a remarkable event, because a new wild cat species hasn't been described in 100 years."1 The species has been detected exclusively in Bolivia to date.1 Remarkably, only one living member of the species has been confirmed—a 10-year-old female rescue cat housed in a Bolivian sanctuary, nicknamed "Tigrino," whose examination prompted the scientific investigation.2
The research has expanded the known diversity within the Leopardus genus to five species rather than the previously recognized three, bringing the total number of identified Felidae species globally to 44 or more.2 The species faces significant threats from deforestation, habitat loss, and illegal hunting.2
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