Mummified Cheetahs Found in Saudi Arabian Caves Reveal Surprising Genetic Diversity

Riyadh. Scientists from Saudi Arabia's National Center for Wildlife were astonished by an unexpected sight while exploring caves in 2022 and 2023 searching for wildlife. In five caves near the northern city of Arar, they discovered seven naturally mummified cheetahs. These remains were largely preserved, with soft tissues and bones intact.

According to researchers, DNA analysis of three of these mummies has revealed facts that could greatly aid in reintroducing cheetahs to their natural habitat on the Arabian Peninsula.

Cheetahs, once found across large parts of Africa and some areas of Asia, are now confined to just 9% of their historical range. It was previously believed that only the Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) existed in Saudi Arabia. This species is currently critically endangered, with only a small population remaining in Iran. Cheetahs were considered extinct in the entire Arabian Peninsula since the 1970s.

However, analysis of three mummies by scientists found that the two oldest samples were genetically closest to the Northwest African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus hecki).

This study, published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment in January, revealed that at least two subspecies of cheetah once inhabited the Arabian Peninsula. This discovery provides scientists with evidence of which cheetah subspecies lived in the region and how successful they were there. This will facilitate future cheetah restoration efforts in the area.

Ahmed Al Boug, the lead author of the research and an ecologist at the National Center for Wildlife, stated that this finding was very surprising. He noted that this is the first official instance of naturally mummified cheetahs being discovered and the first physical evidence that various cheetah subspecies existed on the Arabian Peninsula.

Al Boug explained that cheetahs inhabiting caves is itself extremely unusual behavior. Research is ongoing into why the cheetahs entered and utilized the caves. Scientists do not believe they entered the caves to await death in their final moments or by accident. However, Al Boug clarified that the cave environment and its extreme dryness helped prevent their bodies from decaying, leading to mummification.

In addition to the seven mummies, skeletons of 54 other feline species were found inside the caves. Scientists involved in the study dated five of these remains, finding the oldest remains to be approximately 4,000 years old. According to the study, the two mummies subjected to DNA testing are between approximately 130 and 1,870 years old. Scientists plan to further investigate the remaining mummies and skeletal fragments to identify other subspecies.

According to Al Boug, this discovery presents a historical record of how far east the subspecies of African cheetahs extended. It shows that various lineages of cheetahs reigned in northern Saudi Arabia for thousands of years.

For this study, scientists extracted complete genome sequences from three of the seven remains. This is the first time DNA has been extracted from naturally mummified cheetahs or large cat species.

Adrian Tordiffe, a wildlife expert from South Africa working in India, noted that it is surprising that some cheetah remains are only about a century old. This indicates that cheetahs existed in Saudi Arabia much later than people thought. Tordiffe concluded that this research proves that Saudi Arabia was an important natural bridge for cheetahs, not an 'ecological dead end.'

CNN