It's not every day that a new species is discovered.
Nope, that figure is closer to 44 new species per day, on average, as science identifies over 16,000 new organisms per year.
Many of these may be insects, arthropods, plants, or fungi, which are all fantastic.
But now, we've all been privileged to witness a potentially once-in-a-lifetime discovery: a new cat.
Its scientific name is Leopardus tilcayo, and it's the first new living wild cat species described in more than 100 years – since the Uruguayan pampas cat (Leopardus colocola) was formally identified in 1923.
The evidence is fluffy and irrefutable: a 10-year-old cat nicknamed 'Tigrino'.
Intriguingly, this firstling has been right under science's nose since 2017, living at the Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary in the Bolivian Yungas, the cloud forest ecoregion where the Andes Mountains slope down into the Amazon River basin.
It's here due to its kitten-like cuteness, as it was previously 'adopted' by a family that failed to turn Tigrino into a house cat.
They, and the whole world, finally know why.
This newly famous felid – who is being begrudgingly swarmed and presumably pspsps'ed at by scores of gawking visitors – is only 46 centimeters (18 inches) in length from its tiny head to the base of its swishing tail.
It also only weighs 1.4 kilograms (3 pounds), making it smaller than your average house cat and effectively infinitesimal in chonker culture.
A large, international team of researchers and conservationists has recently described this cat and its "tiger cat" relatives, both genetically and ecologically, in a paper published in the journal Current Biology.
The researchers analyzed the complete genomes of 38 individuals from the Leopardus genus, comprising 30 modern cats, including 12 previously published genomes, and eight specimens from museums.
They also included two more distantly related "outgroup" species as a reference: the larger, less-leopard-y-looking jungle cat (Felis chaus) and puma (Puma concolor).
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These Leopardus tiger cats, except L. tilcayo, of course, have been known for well over a century – their taxonomic namesake, the oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus), was identified in 1775.
"In combination with ecological studies, we ultimately hope to understand how anthropogenic activities will impact the conservation of tiger cats," the researchers explain, which were "once considered a single, broadly distributed species and now understood as five distinct species, each of which is likely adapted to a distinct environment."
The researchers calculated that the earliest split among tiger cats occurred over 2.3 million years ago, following the Great American Biotic Interchange – an evolutionary swap meet between North America and South America as the Isthmus of Panama rose from the seas to connect the two continents.
Additionally, the researchers also identified a new subspecies, the Peruvian Leopardus tigrinus antisuyo, which differs from L. tilcayo by its shorter fur, less bushy tail, and different markings – such subtle phenotypical features set the tiger cats apart.
Alas, the tiger cats have generally faced long-term population decline (up to 80 percent) over the past two epochs, spanning up to 2.58 million years of deep time.
Yet none of the researchers' new samples show high levels of inbreeding, which has occurred in other isolated or declining populations, including historical felids like the famed saber-toothed cats.
Although, at the moment, "We really don't know how many cats are still in the wild," notes Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, a National-Geographic-sponsored conservationist and study co-author who helped identify L. tilcayo at the sanctuary.
So, importantly, L. tilcayo is raising awareness. First, through its name, which derives not from a discoverer but from the local name given to it by the communities of the cloud forest, who have known this tiny tiger for generations.
Secondly, "Tigrino has become, in just a few days, an ambassador for conservation," says Marcelo Levy, the co-founder of the sanctuary where Tigrino resides.
"He's such a tiny animal, and he has become something so important."
As a result of this work, the researchers have shown the value of genomic analyses for disentangling similar species and their unique needs.
Each type of tiger cat must be protected in a unique, informed way, "implying major changes in current strategies employed to determine challenges, goals, and priorities for ensuring their long-term survival," the researchers conclude.
This research was published in Current Biology.
This article was fact-checked by Rachel Garner and edited by Peter Dockrill. While we pride ourselves on our process, we are only human. If you spot a mistake, please let us know.