Cheetah
- Scientific Name : Acinonyx jubatus
- IUCN Status : Vulnerable
- It is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran.
- It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at 80 to 128 km/h (50 to 80 mph) with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being 93 and 98 km/h (58 and 61 mph), and as such has several adaptations for speed, including a light build, long thin legs and a long tail.
- The cheetah lives in three main social groups: females and their cubs, male “coalitions”, and solitary males.
- The cheetah occurs in a variety of habitats such as savannahs in the Serengeti, arid mountain ranges in the Sahara and hilly desert terrain in Iran.
- The cheetah is threatened by several factors such as habitat loss, conflict with humans, poaching and high susceptibility to diseases.
- The king cheetah is a variety of cheetah with a rare mutation for cream-coloured fur marked with large, blotchy spots and three dark, wide stripes extending from the neck to the tail.
- The cheetah is a lightly built, spotted cat characterised by a small rounded head, a short snout, black tear-like facial streaks, a deep chest, long thin legs and a long tail.
- Cheetahs are sexually dimorphic, with males larger and heavier than females, but not to the extent seen in other large cats.