The King Cheetah, also known as Cooper’s Cheetah, was once thought to be a separate sub-species. But it is actually an African Cheetah exhibiting a rare fur pattern mutation. A recessive gene must be inherited from both parents in order for this “blotchy” pattern to appear. First discovered in Zimbabwe in 1926, this very rare animal has been seen in the wild only 6 times. It has been known to exist in Zimbabwe, Botswana and in the northern part of South Africa’s Transvaal province. The De Wildt Cheetah Research Centre in South Africa specializes in breeding this cat in captivity.
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The photo was taken during October 2017 at Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre, De Wildt, Pretoria, South Africa.
Info source URL: http://www.cheetahspot.com/king.php
