The King cheetah is a mutated variant of cheetahs and is extremely rare. King cheetahs are one of the rarest animals in the world and are found mainly in Africa.
First noted in Africa by a naturalist from Britain named Reginald Innes Pocock in 1927, the king cheetahs were first considered to be a separate species of the regular cheetahs.
This separate species was also given the scientific nomenclature of Acinonyx rex. But due to lack of any evidence, this claim by the naturalist was reversed in 1939.
The king cheetah was found to be a mutation caused by a recessive gene. The king cheetah is also known as Cooper’s cheetah named after Major A. Cooper who first discovered the species in 1926.
This species or variation of the cheetahs called the king cheetahs are found specifically in southern Africa and many sightings have now been encountered in Zimbabwe, Botswana, and South Africa.
There are many conservation centers too in South Africa. A captive breedingfacility in South Africa called Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre is known to cater to South African cheetahs and other animals found in the Magaliesberg mountain range in the North West Province of South Africa.
The Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre in South Africa is also known for being the first breeder of the rare king cheetah.
The center proved crucial in proving that the king cheetah is similar to the regular cheetah with a variation of coat pattern and coloring.
There are only a few species of king cheetahs left in the world with the world populationof king cheetahs calculated to be less than 30 individuals currently.
The distinctive fur pattern on the king cheetah is the result of a genetic mutation. King cheetah is known for the unusual marks on the body right from when the species is a mere cheetah cub.
The species have cream-colored fur with large irregular blotches. These large blotches on the fur are easily distinguishable from the small black dots on a regular cheetah’s fur.
The king cheetah has three vertical stripes on the fur that runs down the back from head to tail. The body of the king cheetah is slim and supple which helps in running.
This species also has non-retractable claws. Adult male cheetahs are typically larger than females. The fur sticks up in the king cheetah cub, making them look like they have a mohawk hairstyle!
Speeds of these cheetahs range between 50-80 mph (80.4-128.7 kph). Cheetahs are known to have protracted claws.
These help increase the grip over the ground and the paw pads make maneuvering better and convenient over tougher grounds.
One fun fact of these cats is that the organs inside the body are special and the heart and lungs of the animal have greater power to pump blood and oxygen throughout. This helps them reach a fast speed while sprinting.
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They don’t hide much in the wild range. As they are predators themselves, king cheetahs live in the open wild and hunt at will. Many specimens have been photographed in the African National Parks and Game Reserves.
Female of the species give birth to young cubs every few years. Males fight each other to mate with the females. The female species themselves go into the heat to become more attractive for the males. Cubs are born in a litter of one to eight, but the average number of cubs is three to five.
After birth, the cubs become highly vulnerable as many bigger animals hunt the cubs when young. The mother usually hides the cubs in bushes and frequentlymoving them from one place to another.
These cubs are often born with ‘mohawks‘. A cheetah cub looks more like a honey badger than a cheetah when young.
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