> New cat species found, and its in a rescue shelter. Tom is trying to adopt.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6x2zgv9rr4ro

Tiger cats are small, spotted wild cats found across Central and South America, from Costa Rica to Bolivia and Argentina.

They look remarkably similar and even experts can struggle to tell them apart.

"It's an amazing result that we have a new species for the world, which is the Leopardus tilcayo," said Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz of Universidad Mayor de San Andres in La Paz, Bolivia.

"It's amazing that there are still new species waiting to be discovered: we don't have to go to a volcano, an island, or deep into the sea."

Only one confirmed living member of the species is known - a cat in a rescue sanctuary in Bolivia - but scientists believe others exist.

It was this 10-year-old cat, nicknamed 'Tigrino', that set scientists on the path to discovery.

Bolivian scientist Dr Nogales-Ascarrunz was volunteering at the sanctuary when she noticed the cat looked unusual.

It had been found in the forest by a local resident, who initially thought it was a domestic kitten. As it grew older, however, it became clear that it did not behave like a house cat.

Dr Nogales-Ascarrunz had heard of other sightings of small wild cats in the dense forests of the country's Yungas region, but these had not been investigated by scientists.

To solve the mystery, she joined forces with other researchers from around the world to investigate the family history of tiger cats, using DNA from living animals and museum specimens.