Remains of 1,800-year-old mummified cheetah discovered in cave

Remains of 1,800-year-old mummified cheetah discovered in cave The mummified remains range of cheetahs ranging from 130 years old to over 1,800-years-old have been found in a cave - startling pictures show the preserved creatures A mysterious discovery saw the remains of cheetahs up to 1,800-years-old found in a cave. The mummified remains range from 130 years old to over 1,800-years-old and were excavated by researchers in Saudi Arabia. Seven mummies, along with the bones of 54 other cheetahs, were excavated from a site near the city of Arar. Pictures of the preserved creatures show cloudy eyes and shriveled limbs, resembling dried-out husks. Experts are currently mystified by the discovery, but some think it could have been a denning site where mothers birthed and raised their young. Mummification prevents decay by preserving dead bodies. Egypt's mummies are the most well-known, but the process can also happen naturally in places like glacier ice, desert sands and bog sludge. “It’s something that I’ve never seen before,” said Joan Madurell-Malapeira with the University of Florence in Italy, who was not involved with the discovery. Scientists have uncovered the rare mummified remains of other big cats, including a saber-toothed cat cub in Russia . It's uncommon for large mammals to be preserved to this degree. Besides being in the right environment, the carcasses also have to avoid becoming a snack for hungry scavengers like birds and hyenas. Cheetahs once roamed across most of Africa and parts of Asia, but now live in just nine percent of their previous range and haven't been spotted across the Arabian Peninsula for decades. That’s likely due to habitat loss, unregulated hunting and lack of prey, among other factors. In a first for naturally mummified big cats, scientists were also able to peek at the cheetahs' genes and found that the remains were most similar to modern-day cheetahs from Asia and northwest Africa. That information could help with future efforts to reintroduce the big cats to places they no longer live. It comes after archaeologists have found evidence of a Roman industrial hub on the banks of the River Wear, close to the present-day site of the Nissan car plant. More than 800 whetstones - used to sharpen blades - have been found at the site at Offerton near Sunderland, as well as 11 stone anchors. Analysis of sediment by Durham University archaeologists has confirmed the site on the Wear dates back to the Roman period. The site was discovered by volunteers from the Vedra Hylton Community Association. Experts say the find is important as it shows the north east of England had an important industrial role within Roman Britain - long before the successive eras of coalmining, shipbuilding and car manufacturing.

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