The tilcayo was already known to local communities; however, its visual appearance is extremely similar to that of other tiger cat species and the tilcayo had not been understood to be genetically distinct until this study revealed so.
Publications on Bolivian fauna predating 2026 associate the term tilcayo with Leopardus tigrinus.[6
What was thought to be single species turned out to be five species on closer investigation, and locals only ever see the one proper to the area. Having different names for the same animal in different places isn’t unusual
wiki says:
What was thought to be single species turned out to be five species on closer investigation, and locals only ever see the one proper to the area. Having different names for the same animal in different places isn’t unusual