Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)
Cheetahs are the fastest animals on land. Reaching speeds of over 100kph (almost 65 mph), they can easily outrun any animal over short distances. Amazingly, the cheetah's speed was not accurately measured until 1997.
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About the Cheetah
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is an atypical member of the cat family (Felidae) that is unique in its speed, while lacking climbing abilities. The species is the only living member of the genus Acinonyx. It is the fastest land animal, reaching speeds between 112 and 120 km/h (70 and 75 mph) in short bursts covering distances up to 460 m (1,500 ft), and has the ability to accelerate from 0 to 103 km/h (64 mph) in three seconds, faster than most supercars. Recent studies confirm the cheetah's status as the fastest land animal.
The word "cheetah" is derived from the Sanskrit word citrakāyaḥ, meaning "variegated body", via the Hindi चीता cītā.
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The Cheetah is
Adaptation data provided by Animal Diversity Web
Where can I see them?
This region contains the following habitats:
Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder
Conservation Status
The Cheetah is Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)
- EX - Extinct
- EW
- CR - Threatened
- EN - Threatened
- VU - Threatened
- NT
- LC - Least concern
Population trend: Decreasing
Year assessed: 2008
Elsewhere on the web
- Cheetah - Acinonyx jubatus (arkive.org)
- Acinonyx (animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu)
- DigiMorph: digital images of a cheetah skull (digimorph.org)
- IUCN Red List information (iucnredlist.org)
- Marwell Zoo: Cheetah stills webcam (marwell.org.uk)
- Cheetah (wikipedia.org)
Site links
BBC links
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