Watch This Beautiful King Cheetah Give Birth To Four Cubs

For most mothers, the birth of a child is a rare and incredible thing.

But for the king cheetah, it is even rarer. Not only are cheetahs a vulnerable species, but the "king" cheetah is one of the rarest types of cheetah in the world. Originally thought to be a distinct, hybrid species of leopards and cheetahs, we now know that king cheetahs simply have a peculiar fur pattern caused by a genetic mutation.

So when the news broke out of Hoedspruit, South Africa on Monday that the king cheetah mother Meg, who lives at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre, just gave birth to four cubs, nature enthusiasts rejoiced.

In this video, the entire birth -- that lasted a few hours -- has been edited down to three beautiful and fascinating minutes. Watch as Meg welcomes four adorable cubs into the world, or tune in to the live Africam to see how they're doing at this very moment.