cheetahs - range & habitat
Of the five subspecies of cheetah in the genus Acinonyx, four live in Africa and one in Southwestern Asia. A small population (estimated
at about fifty) survive in the Khorasan Province of Iran, where conservationists are taking steps to protect it. It is possible, though
doubtful, that some cheetahs remain in India. There have also been several unconfirmed reports of Asiatic Cheetahs in the Balochistan
province of Pakistan, with at least one dead animal being recovered recently.
The cheetah thrives in areas with vast expanses of land where prey is abundant. The cheetah likes to live in an open biotope, such as
semi-desert, prairie, and thick brush, though it can be found in a variety of habitats. In Namibia, for example, it lives in grasslands,
savannahs, areas of dense vegetation, and mountainous terrain.
In much of its former range, the cheetah was tamed by aristocrats and used to hunt antelopes in much the same way as is still done with
members of the greyhound group of dogs.
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