Learn about the differences between the African cheetah and Asiatic cheetah - historic range, variation in anatomy and possible reintroduction in India. Its range once spread from the Arabian Peninsula and the Near East to the Caspian region, Transcaucasus, Kyzylkum Desert and northern South Asia, but was extirpated in these regions during the 20th century. The Asiatic cheetah diverged from the cheetah population in Africa between 32,000 and 67,000 years ago. [3] Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) is now one of the most endangered members of the family Felidae in the world. Over the past 30 years, Iran has been the last stronghold for the Asiatic cheetah, known in Iran as Yuz. Established in 1964, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species.
