Why do cheetahs have very low genetic variation?

Cheetahs possess very low genetic variation due to historical demographic events known as population bottlenecks.1

Approximately 11,700 years ago, at the end of the last ice age, cheetah populations experienced a severe reduction in size. This event, which coincided with the widespread disappearance of many large mammals across the Northern Hemisphere, left modern cheetahs with a high level of genetic similarity across most of their DNA.1

As a result, today’s individuals appear highly inbred. This lack of genetic diversity has been associated with certain biological challenges, including increased susceptibility to infectious diseases like feline infectious peritonitis, higher rates of infant mortality, and the presence of abnormal sperm. However, it is important to note that there is currently no evidence linking this low genetic variation to reduced fitness in wild populations.1