Fun Fact: Cheetahs Nearly Went Extinct

Who Said Cheetahs Never Win?

Cheetahs nearly went extinct in the last ice age. We were very close to never meeting this phenomenal feline. The Cheetahs we have in today's world are inbred. So inbred that they are all nearly identical. There is a theory that during an ice age, the cheetah's population dwindled down to less than 10. The only means of survival for the animals were brother-sister and parent-child relations. Another inside fun fact, cheetah's are about 97% identical which makes them just as identical as lab rats. Humans being between 68%-70% identical. It is astonishing that the cheetah has managed to survive this long. Typically, the most genetically adaptable species is the one that survives. So cheetahs being about 97% identical and surviving the years that they have is nothing short of a miracle.

To put this into a pretty cool perspective, a skin graph is where you take skin from your leg or other body part and graph it onto your face, or wherever needed. Usually it will end in a success because one's cells will not reject one another. However you would never be able to do this with another person donating the graphed skin. Cheetahs on the other hand, can accept skin graphs from any other cheetah. Remarkable to say the least.

Cheetahs nearly went extinct, managed to survive through inbred relationships, and are now 97% genetically identical.

That's your daily brain gain!