Weight
kg
Size
cm
Lifespan
years
Population
individuals
Scientific name: Acinonyx Jubatus
Family: Felidae
Genus: Acinonyx
Distribution/habitat : lives mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania) and Southern Africa (Namibia, Botswana, South Africa). A small Asian population survives in Iran, with fewer than 50 individuals.
Its natural habitat includes open savannahs, grasslands, steppes, semi-desert areas, and light scrubland. It avoids dense forests and steep mountainous terrain, preferring open spaces that facilitate hunting. Habitat fragmentation.
Diet: the cheetah is a strict carnivore. It mainly hunts medium-sized antelopes, such as Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles, but also attacks young impalas, springboks, hares, rodents, and sometimes birds. The cheetah approaches its prey cautiously before launching into a short, lightning-fast sprint (up to 62 mph), but it can only maintain this speed for very short distances (1,200–1,800 feet). Once the prey is captured, the cheetah kills it by strangling it or biting its throat. It eats quickly to prevent other predators such as lions, hyenas, or leopards from stealing its meal.
Weight: approximately 35 to 50 kg for females and 40 to 65 kg for males. Newborns weigh approximately 250 to 300 gr.
Height: 66 to 81 cm at the withers for females, and 79 to 94 cm at the withers for males; females’ bodies measure between 1.10 m and 1.30 m in length, compared to 1.30 m to 1.50 m in length for males. Their tails measure between 65 and 85 cm.
Lifespan: 10 to 12 years in the wild and 15 to 20 years in captivity.
Conservation status: threatened, Vulnerable “VU”.
Individuals: 7,100 in the wild.
Demographic trend: sharply declining.
