New Delhi, Sept. 17 -- A wildlife sanctuary's call about a "weird cat" in Bolivia ultimately led scientists to identify the first new felid species discovered in more than 100 years. The animal has been proposed as a new species called Leopardus tilcayo. The discovery was detailed in a study published in the journal Current Biology.

The animal, initially mistaken for a known tiger cat species, was later found through genetic analysis to have a distinct place on the cat family tree.

According to a report by National Geographic, in 2016, Bolivian biologist and National Geographic Explorer Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz received a call from a local wildlife sanctuary about an unusual animal. A man had found the kitten on a road near a forest and ...