| Scientific
Name: Acinonyx jubatus
Size: 80cm at shoulder
Weight: 65 kgs
IUCN Endangered Species?:
Vulnerable
Estimated Wild Population: 12000
Description: Once
one of the most wide-ranging of large carnivores, the cheetah still
exists in about 30 countries in Africa and the middle east but only a
few of these contain enough animals to make them viable breeding
populations. Lack of
genetic diversity is a significant problem and it is so severe that
scientists believe the population of cheetahs may have already been
drastically reduced at several points over the last several thousand
years. As well as habitat
loss and human conflict, cheetahs suffer greatly in areas with large
lion and hyena numbers. In
east Africa, less than 1 in 20 cubs typically survive to adulthood.
By far the largest population is found in Namibia where most
other predators have long since been eradicated as pests so the cheetah
suffers less competition.
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