The Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) is a critically endangered cheetah subspecies currently only surviving in Iran. It once occurred from the Arabian Peninsula and the Near East to the Caspian region, Transcaucasus, Kyzylkum Desert, and India, but was extirpated in these regions during the 20th century. The Asiatic cheetah survives in protected areas in the eastern-central arid region of Iran, where the human population density is very low. In order to raise international awareness for the conservation of the Asiatic cheetah, an illustration was used on the jerseys of the Iran national football team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The Asiatic cheetah diverged from the cheetah population in Africa between 32,000 and 67,000 years ago. During the British rule in India, it was called hunting leopard, a name derived from the ones that were kept in captivity in large numbers by Indian royalty to use for hunting wild antelopes.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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CursorialA cursorial organism is one that is adapted specifically to run. An animal can be considered cursorial if it has the ability to run fast (e.g. chee...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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NomadicNomadic animals regularly move to and from the same areas within a well-defined range. Most animals travel in groups in search of better territorie...
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Ambush predatorAmbush predators are carnivorous animals that capture or trap prey by stealth, luring, or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an elemen...
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Pursuit predatorPursuit predation is a form of predation in which predators actively give chase to their prey, either solitarily or as a group. Pursuit predators r...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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SocialSo
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Asiatic cheetah has buff-to-light fawn-colored fur that is paler on the sides, on the front of the muzzle, below the eyes, and inner legs. Small black spots are arranged in lines on the head and nape but irregularly scattered on the body, legs, paws, and tail. The tail tip has black stripes. The coat and mane are shorter than those of the African cheetah subspecies. Male Asiatic cheetahs are slightly larger than females.
Asiatic cheetahs mainly inhabit the desert areas around Dasht-e Kavir in the eastern half of Iran, including parts of the Kerman, Khorasan, Semnan, Yazd, Tehran, and Markazi provinces. Most live in five protected areas, viz Kavir National Park, Touran National Park, Bafq Protected Area, Dar-e Anjir Wildlife Refuge, and Naybandan Wildlife Reserve. Asiatic cheetahs prefer open lands, small plains, semi-desert areas, and other open habitats where prey is available.
Asiatic cheetahs are active during the day when their prey is and they are usually found near watercourses. They live in three main social groups: females and their cubs, male "coalitions", and solitary males. While females lead a nomadic life searching for prey in large home ranges, males are more sedentary and instead establish much smaller territories in areas with plentiful prey and access to females. During the hunt, cheetahs typically stalk their prey within 60-100 m (200-330 ft) before charging toward it, trip it during the chase, and biting its throat to suffocate it to death. Cheetahs are very vocal and have a broad repertoire of calls and sounds such as chirps (or a "stutter-barks"), churrs (or churtlings), purring, bleating, coughing, growling, hissing, meowing and moaning (or yowling). Other vocalizations include gurgling noise, "nyam nyam" sound "ihn ihn" sound to gather cubs, and a "prr prr" to guide them on a journey. A low-pitched alarm call is used to warn the cubs to stand still.
Within their native range, Asiatic cheetahs prey on medium-sized herbivores including chinkara, goitered gazelle, wild sheep, wild goat, and cape hare. In Khar Turan National Park, cheetahs use a wide range of habitats that overlap 61% with wild sheep, 36% with onager, and 30% with gazelle.
Cheetahs have a polygynous mating system, where a male mates with multiple females. In addition, male cheetahs associate with females only for mating and do not provide parental care. A few observations in Iran indicate that female Asiatic cheetahs give birth throughout the year to 1-4 cubs. The period of gestation for cheetahs usually lasts about 3 months. Cubs are born blind and helpless. Over the following few months, they are breastfed until they start eating meat. Soon the young start to accompany their mother during the hunt in order to watch and learn hunting skills. Also, they learn hunting techniques while playing with their siblings. The cubs live with their mother until they are able to hunt independently. Then, between the age of 18 months and 2 years, they leave to find their own territory. Female cheetahs reach reproductive maturity at 21-22 months old.
The main threats to Asiatic cheetahs include reduced gazelle numbers, persecution, land-use change, habitat degradation and fragmentation, and desertification. These animals are affected by the loss of prey as a result of antelope hunting and overgrazing from introduced livestock. Their prey was pushed out as herders entered game reserves with their herds. Mining development and road construction near reserves also threaten the population. Coal, copper, and iron have been mined in cheetah habitats in three different regions in central and eastern Iran. It is estimated that the two regions for coal (Nayband) and iron (Bafq) have the largest cheetah population outside protected areas. Mining itself is not a direct threat to the population; road construction and the resulting traffic have made the cheetah accessible to humans, including poachers. The Iranian border regions to Afghanistan and Pakistan, viz the Baluchistan Province, are major passages for armed outlaws and opium smugglers who are active in the central and western regions of Iran and pass through cheetah habitat. Uncontrolled hunting throughout the desert cannot be effectively controlled by the governments of the three countries. The conflict between livestock herders and cheetahs is also threatening the population outside protected areas. Several herders killed cheetahs to prevent livestock loss, or for trophies, trade, and fun. Some herders are accompanied by large mastiff-type dogs into protected areas. These dogs killed five cheetahs between 2013 and 2016. Asiatic cheetahs also suffer from collisions with vehicles on a transit road. At least 11 Asiatic cheetahs were killed in road accidents between 2001 and 2014.
According to a Wikipedia resource, as of January 2022, the Iranian Department of Environment estimates that only 12 Asiatic cheetahs, 9 males, and 3 females, are left in Iran where they are listed as Critically Endangered (CR) by the IUCN Red List.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...