Because they were killed in a humid cave, killed chitas thousands of years have become mummies, without resorting to any process.
Seven -chitas mummified remains were discovered, some dated thousands of years in caves in Saudi Arabia. Until now, had never been found any naturally mummified felinesemphasizes the
Along with these 7 bodies were still bone remnants of 54 other chitas (most in the same cave as mummies), an animal that suffered a population decline over time.
“The discoveries are truly notable“Says Anne Schmidt-Küntzel of Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia. first time and therefore of a very important discovery. ”
“The relatively constant conditions of temperature and low humidity of the caves They will have favored the mummification process, ”explains the investigators.
It is not clear because the animals were in the caves, as it is not known that chitas use them as burrows or to store carcasses. But it was the fact that they died in them, in a humid environment that made it possible to become mummies naturally.
The results of the published in Research Square This month showed that the most recently mummified individual was genetically closer to the Asian subspecies, but the analysis of two older samples dated 3000 and 4000 years ago revealed similarities to the African northwest subspecies.
And the discovery even suggested an innovation in the preservation of the species: Schmidt-küntzel says that new investigation reinforces therethat all cheetah subspecies can adapt to the same arid conditionsso the species could be reintroduced in the region from the captive reproduction of African specimens.
