Asiatic cheetah

Uncommon card · No. 101077

The Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) is a critically endangered cheetah subspecies currently surviving in Iran. Its range once spread from the Arabian Peninsula and the Near East to the Caspian region, Transcaucasus, Kyzylkum Desert and northern South Asia, but was extirpated in these regions during the 20th century. The Asiatic cheetah diverged from the cheetah population in Africa between 32,000 and 67,000 years ago. The Asiatic cheetah survives in protected areas in the eastern-central arid region of Iran. Between December 2011 and November 2013, 84 individuals were sighted in 14 different protected areas, and 82 individuals were identified from camera trap photographs. In December 2017, fewer than 50 individuals were thought to be remaining in three subpopulations that are scattered over 140,000 km2 (54,000 sq mi) in Iran's central plateau.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Erfan Kouchari, CC BY 4.0