Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Cheetah
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
{{Short description|Large feline of the genus Acinonyx}} {{About|the animal||Cheetah (disambiguation)}} {{Pp|small=yes}} {{Good article}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}} {{Use British English|date=May 2020}} {{Speciesbox | name = Cheetah | fossil_range = [[Pleistocene]]–Present | status = VU | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |author=Durant, S.M. |author2=Groom, R. |author3=Ipavec, A. |author4=Mitchell, N. |author5=Khalatbari, L. |year=2022 |title=''Acinonyx jubatus'' |page=e.T219A124366642 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T219A124366642.en}}</ref> | status2 = CITES_A1 | status2_system = CITES | status2_ref = <ref name=iucn/> | image = Male cheetah facing left in South Africa.jpg | image_caption = Male cheetah, in [[South Africa]] | image_alt = Male cheetah, in [[South Africa]] | taxon = Acinonyx jubatus | authority = ([[Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber|Schreber]], 1775) | subdivision_ranks = Subspecies | subdivision = {{collapsible list |[[Southeast African cheetah]] (''A. j. jubatus'') {{small|(Schreber, 1775)}} |[[Asiatic cheetah]] (''A. j. venaticus'') {{small|([[Edward Griffith (zoologist)|Griffith]], 1821)}} |[[Northeast African cheetah]] (''A. j. soemmeringii'') {{small|([[Leopold Fitzinger|Fitzinger]], 1855)}} |[[Northwest African cheetah]] (''A. j. hecki'') {{small|([[:de:Max Hilzheimer|Hilzheimer]], 1913)}} }} | synonyms_ref = <ref name=mammal/> | synonyms = {{collapsible list |''Acinonyx venator'' {{small|[[Joshua Brookes|Brookes]], 1828}} |''A. guepard'' {{small|Hilzheimer, 1913}} |''A. rex'' {{small|[[Reginald Innes Pocock|Pocock]], 1927}} |''A. wagneri'' {{small|Hilzheimer, 1913}} |''Cynaelurus guttatus'' {{small|[[St. George Jackson Mivart|Mivart]], 1900}} |''Cynaelurus jubata'' {{small|Mivart, 1900}} |''Cynaelurus lanea'' {{small|[[Theodor von Heuglin|Heuglin]], 1861}} |''Cynailurus jubatus'' {{small|[[Johann Georg Wagler|Wagler]], 1830}} |''Cynailurus soemmeringii'' {{small|Fitzinger, 1855}} |''Cynofelis guttata'' {{small|[[René Lesson|Lesson]], 1842}} |''Cynofelis jubata'' {{small|Lesson, 1842}} |''Felis fearonii'' {{small|[[Andrew Smith (zoologist)|Smith]], 1834}} |''F. fearonis'' {{small|Fitzinger, 1855}} |''F. megabalica'' {{small|Heuglin, 1863}} |''F. megaballa'' {{small|Heuglin, 1868}} |''Guepar jubatus'' {{small|[[Pierre Boitard|Boitard]], 1842}} |''Gueparda guttata'' {{small|[[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1867}} |''Guepardus guttata'' {{small|[[Georges Louis Duvernoy|Duvernoy]], 1834}} |''Guepardus jubatus'' {{small|Duvernoy, 1834}} }} | range_map = Acinonyx jubatus subspecies range IUCN 2015 (cropped).png | range_map_caption = The range of the cheetah as of 2015<ref name=iucn /> | range_map_alt = Map showing the distribution of the cheetah in 2015 }} The '''cheetah''' ('''''Acinonyx jubatus''''') is a large [[Felidae|cat]] and the [[Fastest animals|fastest]] land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, with a short [[snout]] and black tear-like facial streaks. It reaches {{cvt|67–94|cm}} at the shoulder, and the head-and-body length is between {{cvt|1.1|and|1.5|m}}. Adults weigh between {{cvt|21|and|65|kg}}. The cheetah is capable of running at {{cvt|93|to|104|km/h}}; it has evolved specialized adaptations for speed, including a light build, long thin legs and a long tail. The cheetah was first [[Species description|described]] in the late 18th century. Four subspecies are recognised today that are native to [[Africa]] and central [[Iran]]. An African subspecies was [[Cheetah reintroduction in India|introduced to India]] in 2022. It is now distributed mainly in small, fragmented populations in northwestern, [[East Africa|eastern]] and [[southern Africa]] and central Iran. It lives in a variety of habitats such as [[savannah]]s in the [[Serengeti]], arid mountain ranges in the [[Sahara]], and hilly desert terrain. The cheetah lives in three main [[sociality|social group]]s: females and their cubs, male "coalitions", and solitary males. While females lead a nomadic life searching for prey in large [[home range]]s, males are more sedentary and instead establish much smaller [[Territory (animal)|territories]] in areas with plentiful prey and access to females. The cheetah is active during the day, with peaks during dawn and dusk. It feeds on small- to medium-sized prey, mostly weighing under {{cvt|40|kg}}, and prefers medium-sized [[ungulate]]s such as [[impala]], [[springbok]] and [[Thomson's gazelle]]s. The cheetah typically stalks its prey within {{cvt|60|-|100|m}} before charging towards it, trips it during the chase and bites its throat to suffocate it to death. It breeds throughout the year. After a [[gestation]] of nearly three months, females give birth to a litter of three or four cubs. Cheetah cubs are highly vulnerable to predation by other large carnivores. They are weaned at around four months and are independent by around 20 months of age. The cheetah is threatened by [[habitat loss]], conflict with humans, [[poaching]] and high susceptibility to diseases. The global cheetah population was estimated at 6,517 individuals in 2021; it is listed as [[Vulnerable species|Vulnerable]] on the [[IUCN Red List]]. It has been widely depicted in art, literature, advertising, and animation. It was [[Taming|tamed]] in [[ancient Egypt]] and trained for hunting ungulates in the [[Arabian Peninsula]] and India. It has been kept in [[zoo]]s since the early 19th century.
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)