New Mystifying Species of Wild Cat Discovered in Brazil

Using molecular markers a team of researchers has discovered a new housecat species in the Brazilian forest.

The new species was earlier identified as tigrina- a population of wild cats, but the DNA analysis claims that the two tigrina populations present in the northeastern and southern Brazil are different and there is no evidence of interbreeding between the two. This confirms that the species are evolutionarily distinct.

The new finding led by Eduardo Eizirik from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre, Brazil, highlights the fact that how little is known about the natural world and the presence of mysterious creatures. Not much is known of the cats living in the wild in Southern Brazil. This research offers crucial conservation suggestions for the feline family.

"Our study highlights the need for urgent attention focused on the Brazilian northeastern tigrinas, which are virtually unknown with respect to most aspects of their biology," Eizirik said in a statement.

The confirmation of the new species was done after DNA analysis. Eizirik along with Tatiane Trigo of Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and other colleagues collected DNA biomarkers of the northeastern tigrinas (Leopardus tigrinus), southern tigrina, pampas cat and the Geoffery cat.

The above listed species belong to the genus Leopardus. The researchers studied the evolutionary history of the tigrinas including their hybridization and gene movement. They found that the southern tigrinas and Geoffroy's cats were interbreeding due to geographical proximity. They also found evidence of ancient interbreeding between the north eastern tigrina and the pampas cat.  This proves that hybridization can and does take place between distinct animal species.

The two newly discovered species, according to the researchers, are suited to different habitats as well as geological factors. Compared to the northeastern ones that dwell in savannahs and dry shrub land, the southern species live in denser and wetter Atlantic forests.

"Such distinct habitat associations provide a hint to potentially adaptive differences between these newly recognized species and may have been involved in their initial evolutionary divergence," Trigo says. Moreover, Eizirik adds, "All four species are threatened, and we need to understand as much as possible regarding their genetics, ecology, and evolution to be able to design adequate conservation strategies on their behalf."

BBC  reports that there are nearly seven species of small wild cat in the genus Leopardus in both Central and South America. They are believed to be the first ones to colonize the area during the Late Pliocene era.

The findings were reported in Cell Press journal Current Biology.