King Cheetah Again

Thanks for posting another shot of this extremely rare beauty!

The King Cheetah has very distinctive markings which set it apart from the normal Cheetah, and in this shot you can just see some of the larger dark blotches and stripes, the longer dark mane or ruff, and the start of the dark stripes which usually go down the length of the spine.

It is thought there are less than 80 of these beautiful cats left in the world.

Nice one!! Thanks for sharing.

I really enjoy seeing this. Lovely background, contrast and saturation..No nits on this end.. thanks for posting..

Very cool shot of one of these rarities. Is this a wild Cheetah or captive?

[quote="Steve Metildi"]Very cool shot of one of these rarities. Is this a wild Cheetah or captive?[/quote]

Hi Steve, It's a captive cheetah. Taken at the metro Zoo in Miami.

Beautiful portrait!

Carol C wrote:It is thought there are less than 80 of these beautiful cats left in the world.

That makes it sound like it was once common, which is not the case. I read up a bit on the King Cheetah yesterday (admittedly on the internet, so the information may be worth what I paid for it...).

From what I read this is an extremely rare genetic abnormality. Apparently all cheetahs are virtual clones of one another--the gene pool is very shallow--due to having been almost wiped out a couple thousand years ago. The small gene pool is what makes this kind of recessive trait extremely rare. King Cheetahs weren't known to exist until sometime in the 20th century, and at first it was thought they were a different subspecies. That is until a zoo in S. Africa had two regular cheetahs produce a King Cheetah. That zoo has since used the modern knowledge of genetics to breed most of the King Cheetahs in the world today. The naturally occuring King Cheetahs have probably never numbered more than 5-10 at any one time.

It was some interesting reading--I learned some things about Cheetahs in general which I didn't know before... Thanks to Carol and Gaelo for bring up the subject!

-Paul

Ok perhaps a misunderstanding of what I meant to say, since first appearing in the last 150 years, researchers have, in the last few years, identified over 60 individuals in the wild in S Africa.

Being the result of a recessive gene, both parents have to carry the gene to produce a King Cheetah. If only one parent has the gene, normal Cheetah cubs will result.

Whichever way you look at it, they are very rare, and their survival solely dependent on both parents carrying the gene at time of mating.

Fascinating stuff anyway!!

Carol C wrote:Ok perhaps a misunderstanding of what I meant to say, since first appearing in the last 150 years, researchers have, in the last few years, identified over 60 individuals in the wild in S Africa.

Remember I used the internet as my source, and we all know the value of information found on the internet... Some sites say the first confirmed sighting (one said an animal was actually trapped) was in 1926; the animal was considered mythical prior to that. I did see your 150 years on one site, though. Most of the sites seemed to imply that only a small handful existed in the wild; perhaps recent research has not found its way to all the two-bit websites out there! (After all, the only thing you need to make a website on any subject at all is an internet account. Current knowledge [or any knowledge] is not a prerequisite... Which is why I stated my sources!)

It's just that I read your text as saying that the numbers were declining--not that you intended it to say that--and I thought I'd add a clarification. I apologize if I stepped on your toes.

-Paul

"[The internet] is like a herd of performing elephants with diarrhea -- massive, difficult to redirect, awe inspiring, entertaining, and a source of mind-boggling amounts of excrement when you least expect it." Gene Stafford, 1992.

"You really must learn to use [the internet] more like a source of misleading clues and refer to the proper specs for factual information." Alan Flavell

No toes stepped on Paul!! Its just that I don't always say what I'm thinking (if you know what I mean!) I sometimes am thinking one thing while writing another - no wonder it leads to confusion.....

Great shot of King George (his name) He actually was born at the De Wildt Cheetah Center in S. AFrica. My snarling cheetah posted a few weeks ago was taken at De Wildt. King George's brother, also a king cheetah is still there but not friendly at all.

A mighty gorgeous animal which I've never even heard of before. Wonderful image and informative commentary!!! So King George it is!!! Thanks everyone for sharing!!

I don't think I have ever seen a King Cheetah before - very cool animal. Nice shot.

E.J. Peiker wrote:I don't think I have ever seen a King Cheetah before - very cool animal. Nice shot.

The pattern on a "King" cheetah is caused by recessive genes. They are still Cheetahs. You can get more information here:

http://www.dewildt.org.za/cheetah/index.html

http://www.dewildt.org.za/tour/onlinetour/index.html

On the tour, click the top image to get more information on Kings.

Nice portrait of the King.

Anthony Medici wrote:

E.J. Peiker wrote:I don't think I have ever seen a King Cheetah before - very cool animal. Nice shot.

The pattern on a "King" cheetah is caused by recessive genes. They are still Cheetahs.

Thanks for backing up what we have already said in the above posts Tony!! :roll:

Carol C wrote:Thanks for backing up what we have already said in the above posts Tony!! :roll:

Oops. Missed that. At least I provided some documentation on it.

You did indeed!!