Never before seen photographs were released this week of the Saharan cheetah, one of the world's rarest carnivores and a subspecies researchers barely know anything about.
Hidden infrared cameras installed around the Ahaggar Cultural Park in Algeria were used to capture the first close-up images of the critically endangered Saharan cheetah, Grind TV reported.
Scientists from the Zoological Society of London, University College London, Alergia's Université de Béjaïa and the Wildlife Conservation Society gathered the images as part of a study to save the subspecies.
"This is the first time we have been able to collect scientific data on the rare Saharan cheetah, as in the past we have had to rely on anecdotes and guesswork," said lead study author Farid Belbachir, of the Université de Béjaïa, Grind TV reported.
"We hope that this important carnivore does not follow the path to extinction like other Algerian desert species such as the addax antelope and dama gazelle."
There are less than 250 Saharan cheetahs believed to be alive today, making them a rare form of cheetah compared to others of their species native to Africa, the study found.
The large carnivores are mostly nocturnal and require large swaths of land to hunt where they live in the deserts of north and west Africa. A step towards their conservation would involve preserving vast areas of their habitat, researchers said according to Grind TV.
Scientists also noted the fact the cheetahs are able to adapt to living in the Sahara shows the area is a healthy environment. However, "authors argue more needs to be done to secure this habitat's long-term survival," the Wildlife Conservation Society said.
The new study is available now in the journal PLOS ONE.
