View this post on Instagram A post shared by National Geographic Animals (@natgeoanimals) Even in this century, new — and in this case happy — natural discoveries await: For the first time in a century, researchers say they’ve identified a new species of wild cat previously unknown to science. Leopardus tilcayo — or the tilcayo tiger cat…

Sadly, North America never had its own true cheetah. The American cheetah, long since extinct, was closer to an American puma: With their slender bodies and long front legs, Miracinonyx trumani—often nicknamed the “American cheetah”—was long thought to be a North American analog of the African big cat. But in a new study published in the journal Current…

Embed from Getty Images Sometimes cats groom each other for friendly reasons … but sometimes not: Morgane Van Belle, another cat behavioral scientist at Ghent University and the study’s lead author, was observing her own cats, Fabio and Giovanni, interacting over a favorite napping spot in the sun and noticed something. “I saw these weird…