Photo of rare, mysterious wild cat wins competition

A rarely seen Bolivian wild cat species was photographed by a camera trap in one of the country's national parks, the first time it has been spotted there.

The photo of the cat, called an oncilla, won a category of a camera trap competition run by the magazine BBC Wildlife.

The oncilla, about the size of a house cat, is found throughout the Amazon and the tropical Andes. The cat is rarely spotted, and little is known about its life history, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), whose researchers took the photo as part of a camera trap survey in the area in July 2012.

The survey captured photos of jaguars and other wildlife in Madidi, one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. The 7,335-square-mile (19,000 square kilometers) park hosts 11 percent of the world's birds, more than 200 mammal species, almost 300 fish species and 12,000 varieties of plants.

1. Science news from NBCNews.com
   1. Cosmic rays may spark Earth's lightning
      

      All lightning on Earth may have its roots in space, new research suggests.

   2. How our brains can track a 100 mph pitch
   3. Moth found to have ultrasonic hearing
   4. Quantum network could secure Internet

This wide array of species is found in an equally diverse set of ecosystems, from lowland tropical forests to the peaks of the High Andes.

With this evidence that the oncilla dwells in Madidi, the number of confirmed cat species in the park now stands at six, with two more waiting to be confirmed, the WCS said in a statement.

WCS researchers Guido Ayala, Maria Viscarra and Robert Wallace submitted the photo in the New Discoveries category of the BBC Wildlife competition. The winning entry received £1,000 (approximately $1,500), courtesy of Paramo Directional Clothing Systems and the World Land Trust. The photo is featured in the December issue of the magazine.

Follow OurAmazingPlanet on Twitter @OAPlanet. We're also on Facebook and Google+.

• Camera Trapped: Wonderful and Weird Wildlife Around the World
• 10 Amazing Things You Didn't Know About Animals
• The Wild Cats of Kruger National Park