Every part of the cheetah is a trade-off in favour of acceleration. The spine flexes like a spring, the shoulder blades are unattached to the collarbone, the claws stay partly extended for traction, and the nasal passages and heart are enlarged to feed oxygen to the muscles.
The same specialisation makes the cheetah a poor competitor. It is regularly displaced from kills by lions, leopards and hyaenas, and it hunts by day partly to avoid them.
Size and measurements
| Head-body length | 3 ft 8 in – 4 ft 11 in (112–150 cm) |
|---|---|
| Tail length | 24 in – 2 ft 9 in (60–84 cm) |
| Shoulder height | 2 ft 4 in – 2 ft 11 in (70–90 cm) |
| Body weight | 46–159 lb (21–72 kg) — Most adults fall between 34 and 54 kg; males average slightly heavier. |
| Top recorded speed | 58 mph (93 km/h) — Highest speed recorded on wild hunting cheetahs with GPS collars; captive sprint trials have reached about 98 km/h. |
| Lifespan in the wild | 8–12 years |
| Lifespan under human care | 12–17 years |
Habitat and range
Open and semi-open country with clear sightlines and firm footing. Cheetahs also persist in arid landscapes such as the Sahel and the Iranian desert steppe, where they range enormously to find prey.
Fragmented populations in eastern and southern Africa, small remnants in North and West Africa, and a critically small Asiatic population confined to central Iran.
Diet and hunting
Thomson's gazelle, springbok, impala, duiker and hares; prey usually weighs less than the cheetah itself, since large animals are too risky to restrain.
Hunting strategy — High-speed pursuit in the open. The cat approaches to within roughly 200 feet, then sprints, using the tail as a rudder to match the prey's turns before knocking it off balance with a dewclaw and applying a throat bite.
Behaviour and activity
Females solitary; males form coalitions. Females raise cubs alone across very large ranges, while related males often hold territory in permanent groups of two or three. Cheetahs do not roar; they chirp, purr and stutter.
Diurnal. Hunting concentrates in the early morning and late afternoon, avoiding both midday heat and the night-time activity of larger competitors.
Climbing and swimming
Climbing — Limited. Cheetahs use sloping trunks and termite mounds as lookouts but cannot climb vertical trunks the way leopards do.
Swimming — Very limited. Avoids water and swims only under compulsion.
Conservation status
The Cheetah is currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with a population trend recorded as decreasing in the assessment published in 2021.
The species occupies a small fraction of its historical range, and a large share of the remaining population lives outside protected areas, which makes conflict with livestock owners a central conservation issue.
Documented threats
- Loss of open habitat and prey
- Conflict with livestock farming
- Illegal live-cub trade
- Very large area requirements
- Low genetic diversity
Look up the current Red List assessment for Acinonyx jubatus
Notable traits
- Acceleration is the more remarkable statistic: cheetahs can add roughly 6 mph per stride during the first three strides.
- Semi-retractable claws work like sprinting spikes and stay blunt from constant ground contact.
- The Asiatic cheetah in Iran is one of the rarest large mammals on Earth, with only a few dozen animals confirmed.
Sources for this profile
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Global assessment categories, population trends and documented threats.
- IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group Species accounts, distribution notes and Cat News reporting for every wild felid.
- Cheetah Conservation Fund Research on cheetah biology, speed measurement and human-wildlife conflict.
- Panthera Field research programmes and species profiles for big and small wild cats.
- Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute Body measurements, longevity records and life-history notes.