Bold claim first: this discovery rewrites what we thought about cheetahs in the Arabian Peninsula. New DNA evidence from seven naturally mummified cheetahs found in five caves near Arar, Saudi Arabia, reveals that multiple cheetah lineages once roamed the region, not just a single subspecies. And this is exactly the kind of finding that could reshape reintroduction plans today.
In 2022–2023, scientists from the National Center for Wildlife in Saudi Arabia explored caves while surveying wildlife and unearthed seven remarkably preserved cheetah remains, with soft tissues and full skeletons still intact. When researchers sequenced the DNA of three of these mummies, they uncovered a surprising twist: two of the oldest specimens clustered genetically with Acinonyx jubatus hecki, the Northwest African cheetah. Until now, it had been assumed that only the Asiatic cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus venaticus, inhabited Saudi Arabia. Cheetahs in the region were considered locally extinct by the 1970s.
The findings, published in January in Communications Earth & Environment, show that at least two cheetah subspecies once lived in the Arabian Peninsula, expanding our view of historic biodiversity there. This matters for restoration efforts because it identifies the lineages that once thrived in the area and demonstrates their prior success in this landscape.
Lead author Ahmed Al Boug, an ecologist and deputy CEO of the National Center for Wildlife, called the result highly surprising. He noted that it marks the first documented case of natural cheetah mummification and the first physical evidence that multiple cheetah subspecies occurred in the region. He also pointed out that cheetah use of caves is unusual, making the discovery and its context all the more remarkable.
The team is probing why the cheetahs entered and used the caves. They don’t see the behavior as accidental or solely for isolation at the end of life. Instead, the cave’s dry, hyper-arid environment helped preserve the remains.
Beyond the seven cheetahs, researchers found the skeletal remains of 54 other felines in the same caves. Five of the remains were dated, with the oldest around 4,000 years old. Two of the mummies analyzed date roughly from 130 to 1,870 years ago. Further examination of the remaining mummies and fragments may reveal additional subspecies, according to Al Boug.
“This discovery is significant because it extends the easternmost record of an African cheetah subspecies and shows northern Saudi Arabia hosted multiple cheetah lineages over thousands of years,” Al Boug stated. “Together, these findings refine our understanding of how cheetahs used the landscape, clarify timelines of regional extirpation, and improve resolution on which subspecies historically inhabited this region.”
To identify the subspecies, researchers extracted complete genome sequences from three of the seven mummies. This marked the first time complete DNA has been recovered from naturally mummified cheetahs or other large cats, according to a journal press release.
Experts outside the study weighed in on the implications. Adrian Tordiffe, a veterinary wildlife specialist based in India, found it striking that some remains were as recent as roughly a century old, indicating cheetahs inhabited Saudi Arabia more recently than previously thought. He highlighted that the evidence shows diverse subspecies lived there at different periods, suggesting the Arabian Peninsula once served as a natural bridge for cheetahs rather than a dead end.
Tordiffe emphasized that knowing which cheetah lineages lived in Arabia provides conservationists with a clearer blueprint for reintroduction. Rather than bringing in cheetahs from unrelated environments, restoration efforts can prioritize ecologically compatible lineages. The remains reveal both young and adult individuals, indicating breeding and thriving populations in the past and a landscape that supported cheetahs alongside prey like gazelles—whose comeback in Saudi Arabia is already underway. In short, this research turns the dream of rewilding cheetahs into a plan grounded in solid evidence.
Historically, human activity—hunting and land-use changes—drove many wildlife populations in the Arabian Peninsula toward decline. Today, however, the region has established large protected areas that reduce major threats such as habitat degradation, excessive human disturbance, and competition with lions. This environmental shift positions Saudi Arabia to support the recovery of a species once widespread across the area.
Cheetahs, being apex predators, play a pivotal ecological role: they control prey populations and create feeding opportunities for other species through their remains. As conservationists like Laurie Marker of the Cheetah Conservation Fund observe, restoring cheetahs could help revitalize broader biodiversity and reestablish a healthier desert ecosystem.
The researchers’ work hints at a future where Saudi Arabia’s rewilding efforts are not just hopeful but evidence-based, guided by a richer understanding of which cheetah lineages thrived in the region and when. As the landscape recovers, the cheetah could become a cornerstone of a revitalized ecosystem in the desert.
Would you agree that reintroducing ecologically compatible cheetah lineages is essential for a successful rewilding project, or should we focus on other species first to rebuild the ecosystem? Share your thoughts on which cheetah lineage should lead restoration and why.
