A NEW KIND of FELINE

Scientists have confirmed a third species of tiger cat that lives in Latin America.

Photograph by JOEL SARTORE

EVERYONE KNOWS THE lions, tigers, and other big cats of the world. But tiger cats, small solitary felines that range from Costa Rica to Argentina, have long been shrouded in mystery. Researchers recently discovered the clouded tiger cat, using a combination of genetics, museum skins, and thousands of camera trap photos that set it apart from the two other known tiger cat species: savanna and Atlantic forest. All three spotted predators are now in danger as a result of habitat loss and disease spillover from domestic animals. “They’ve lost more than 50 percent of their original area,” says Tadeu de Oliveira, a wildlife conservationist at Brazil’s State University of Maranhão. He founded the Tiger Cats Conservation Initiative, which works with local people to vaccinate their pets. “The red alert has…

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National Geographic (Digital) - 1 Issue, August 2024

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