Overview
- Researchers surveyed 134 caves near Arar in northern Saudi Arabia and recovered seven naturally mummified cheetahs alongside 54 skeletons.
- Radiocarbon dates span roughly 100 to more than 4,000 years, indicating a long, intermittent cheetah presence on the Arabian Peninsula.
- Genomes from three specimens show affinities to both the Asiatic cheetah and the northwest African A. j. hecki, overturning the assumption of a single historical lineage.
- The genomic work, published in Communications Earth & Environment, achieved the first complete genomes from naturally mummified big cats and may guide any future sourcing for reintroduction.
- Conservation scientists note that potential donor subspecies are critically endangered and caution that any reintroduction plans must weigh genetic, ecological and ethical risks.