1,800-Year-Old Mummified Cheetahs Discovered Inside Caves in Saudi Arabia

The discovery of naturally mummified cheetah remains hidden for centuries inside caves in northern Saudi Arabia is offering rare insight into the region’s lost wildlife history and the remarkable ways large animals can survive the passage of time under extreme environmental conditions.

According to a recent study published in the journal Communications Earth and Environment, researchers uncovered seven exceptionally preserved cheetah mummies along with skeletal remains belonging to at least 54 other cheetahs. The findings were made near the city of Arar, close to the Saudi-Iraqi border.

Radiocarbon dating revealed that the remains span a wide timeline, ranging from as recent as 130 years old to more than 1,800 years in age. This suggests that the caves were used repeatedly by cheetahs across many generations, making the site one of the most significant discoveries related to large carnivores in the Arabian Peninsula.

Mummification is a process in which tissues are preserved after death, significantly slowing decomposition. While human mummies from ancient Egypt are the most widely known examples, animals can also naturally mummify when conditions are right. Dry desert air, stable cave temperatures, and limited oxygen are known to create environments where decay is dramatically reduced.

In this case, scientists believe the caves provided ideal conditions for natural preservation. The cheetah mummies appear as dried, leathery forms, with clouded eyes, shrunken limbs, and fur still faintly visible, offering a haunting yet scientifically invaluable glimpse into the past.

“It’s something that I’ve never seen before,” said Joan Madurell-Malapeira of the University of Florence, who was not involved in the research, underscoring the rarity of finding such well-preserved large mammals.

Despite the remarkable state of preservation, the reason so many cheetahs ended up inside these caves remains unresolved. Researchers speculate that the location may have served as a natural den, particularly for mothers giving birth and raising cubs. Another possibility is that injured, elderly, or sick cheetahs retreated to the caves for shelter during their final days.

The preservation of large mammals is especially rare because carcasses are typically scavenged quickly by birds, hyenas, and other predators. For mummification to occur, the remains must not only be in the right environment but also remain undisturbed long enough for the drying process to take hold.

“To find such intact evidence of cheetahs that lived long ago in this part of the world is entirely without precedent,” said study author Ahmed Boug of Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Wildlife in an email response, emphasizing the global significance of the discovery.

Historically, cheetahs once roamed widely across Africa and large parts of Asia, including the Arabian Peninsula. Over time, however, their numbers and range have declined sharply. Today, cheetahs occupy only about nine percent of their historical habitat, with populations disappearing from Arabia decades ago.

Scientists attribute this decline to a combination of factors, including loss of prey, excessive hunting, and widespread habitat destruction driven by human activity. The Saudi cave findings provide critical evidence that cheetahs were once a stable and recurring presence in the region.

In a scientific first for naturally mummified large cats, researchers were able to extract and analyze genetic material from the remains. DNA analysis revealed that the ancient cheetahs were most closely related to populations from northwest Africa and modern Asia.

These genetic insights could play an important role in future conservation strategies, including discussions around potential reintroduction efforts or the preservation of genetic diversity among surviving cheetah populations.