Asiatic cheetah

The Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx Jubatus Venaticus), also known as the Iranian cheetah, Indian cheetah, or Persian cheetah, is a critically endangered cheetah species and today is now only found in Iran. It used to occur in India as well, where it is locally extinct since 1950. During the British colonial times in India, it was called the hunting leopard. The Asian cheetah separated from its African relatives between 32,000 and 67,000 years ago. Some cheetahs in Africa have their big spots connected and they are called king cheetahs but the king cheetah is not a species just like the white tiger is not a species. In 2015, there is estimated to be around 90 individuals left but the numbers are rising and that's a good thing. The Asiatic cheetah roamed across a vast stretch of land from the shores of the Mediterranean sea to the banks to the Ganges river. The Hindi word for the cheetah is Cita. The cheetah is one of the 3 remaining large cats of Iran along with the Eurasian lynx and Persian leopard. Cheetahs lived in every Middle Eastern country from Egypt to Iran.