Critically endangered cheetahs have been snapped in the Central Sahara in Algeria.

Researchers from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) used camera traps to capture pictures of the rare big cat, which is on the critically endangered list as only an estimated 250 adult Northwest African or Saharan cheetahs exist.

ZSL senior fellow researcher Sarah Durant said the photos were significant in providing the first record of a number of Saharan cheetahs in the area.

She said: "The significance of the pictures is very exciting because it's the first record of a number of different cheetahs living in the same area that we've received from this region."

Four different cheetahs were photographed during the study, which were identified by the pattern of spots - unique to each animal.

Found across the Sahara desert and in north and west Africa. the cheetah populations are fragmented, with the largest group thought by researchers to be found in Algeria.

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