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] Learn about the differences between the African cheetah and Asiatic cheetah - historic range, variation in anatomy and possible reintroduction in India. The Asiatic cheetah or the Iranian cheetah is an endangered subspecies of the leopard, of which only a few cubs remain in Iran today. The Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus), a subspecies of Asiatic cheetah, was once widely distributed in Asian regions from the Arabian Peninsula and the Near East to the Caspian region, South Caucasus, and India. Today, their distribution is limited to the central desert areas of Iran, which are their last refuge for life.
