Cheetah Trivia | 30 facts about the fastest land animal worldwide

Cheetah is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular wild animals, that can capture your eye because of its fast running, and its wonderful fur.

Let’s find out more about the cheetah!

1. The cheetah is a large cat.
2. It is native to Africa and central Iran.
3. Its scientific name is Acinonyx jubatus.
4. It is the fastest land animal.
5. Actually, it is 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).
6. This is why it has several adaptations for speed, including a light build, long thin legs and a long tail. It typically reaches 67–94 cm (26–37 in) at the shoulder, and the head-and-body length is between 1.1 and 1.5 m (3.6 and 4.9 ft).
7. Adults weigh between 20 and 65 kg (44 and 143 lb).
8. Its head is small, rounded, and has a short snout and black tear-like facial streaks.
9. The coat is typically tawny to creamy white or pale buff and is mostly covered with evenly spaced, solid black spots.
10. Four subspecies are recognised.
11. The cheetah lives in three main social groups, females and their cubs, male “coalitions” and solitary males.
12. Females lead a nomadic life searching for prey in large home ranges.
13. Males are more sedentary and may instead establish much smaller territories in areas with plentiful prey and access to females.
14. The cheetah is active mainly during the day, with peaks during dawn and dusk.
15. It feeds on small- to medium-sized prey, mostly weighing under 40 kg (88 lb), and prefers medium-sized ungulates such as impala, springbok and Thomson’s gazelles.
16. The cheetah typically stalks its prey to within 60–70 m (200–230 ft), charges towards it, trips it during the chase and bites its throat to suffocate it to death. It breeds throughout the year.
17. After a gestation of nearly three months, a litter of typically three or four cubs is born. C
18. heetah cubs are highly vulnerable to predation by other large carnivores such as hyenas and lions.
19. They are weaned at around four months and are independent by around 20 months of age.
20. 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.
21. The cheetah is threatened by several factors such as habitat loss, conflict with humans, poaching and high susceptibility to diseases.
22. Historically ranging throughout most of Sub-Saharan Africa and extending eastward into the Middle East and to central India, the cheetah is now distributed mainly in small, fragmented populations in central Iran and southern, eastern and northwestern Africa.
23. In 2016, the global cheetah population was estimated at around 7,100 individuals in the wild.
24. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
25. In the past, cheetahs used to be tamed and trained for hunting ungulates.
26. They have been widely depicted in art, literature, advertising, and animation.
27. Their diet is made up primarily of smaller antelopes including springbok, steenbok, Thomson’s gazelle, impalas, and duiker. Cheetahs will also feed on wildebeest calves and, occasionally, smaller animals including rabbits, hares and birds.
28. Cheetahs have evolved to live in an environment where water is scarce, and can survive on one drink every three to four days.
29. Cheetahs start reproducing at a young age. More specifically, males at the age of one and females at two.
30. There is no specific breeding season and cheetahs will mate with many individuals throughout their lifetimes.