Northwest African cheetah | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Family: | Felidae |
Subfamily: | Felinae |
Genus: | Acinonyx |
Species: | |
Subspecies: | A. j. hecki[1]
|
Trinomial name | |
Acinonyx jubatus hecki[1] Hilzheimer, 1913
| |
A. j. hecki range historical today
| |
Synonyms | |
A. j. senegalensis (Blainville, 1843) |
The Northwest African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus hecki), also known as the Saharan cheetah, is a cheetah subspecies native to the Sahara and the Sahel. It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. In 2008, the population was suspected to number less than 250 mature individuals.[2]
The Northwest African cheetah was described by German zoologist Max Hilzheimer in 1913 under the scientific name Acinonyx hecki.[3]