Zell sez: ...
> I understand that African cheetahs are anomalous, being nearly natural > clones of each other, genetically. Makes you wonder how > stuff really got here. Regarding cheetahs, I've heard scientific speculation that the reason their genetic pool is so unusually narrow (clone-like in nature) was due to the suspicion that this beautiful species may have been nearly wiped off the face of the Serengeti planes many thousands of years ago. A break in the food chain. Mass starvation. Bad weather. Who knows. Perhaps by the grace of god a tiny band of these hearty creatures managed to survive and pass on what little genetic variation left to their progeny. Regarding the "grace of god" term, I speak figuratively here. ;-) On a more speculative and controversial note, one that certainly is NOT scientifically endorsed by the current political climate, some have speculated that cheetahs may have come into existence through a deliberately controlled breeding program, perhaps engineered by an ancient civilization - most likely Egyptian in nature. Regardless, both theories are intriguing. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrinWorks.com
