Cheetah
Scientific name: Acinonyx jubatus (Schreber, 1775)
Overview
The cheetah is a species of large feline and the only living member of the genus Acinonyx. The cheetah is a pursuit predator and the fastest land animal, capable of running at 93–104 km/h (58–65 mph); it has evolved for speed, having powerful hindlimb muscles and a long lumbar spine. The cheetah 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 has a height of 67–94 cm (2.20–3.08 ft) at the shoulder, and the head-and-body length is between 1.1 and 1.5 m. Adults weigh between 21 and 65 kg.
From the Wikipedia article “Cheetah”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.2.
Size and lifespan
| Measurement | Value |
|---|---|
| Birth weight | 275 g |
| Adult weight (male) | 40.2 kg |
| Adult weight (female) | 35 kg |
Source: Wikidata, citing “Acinonyx jubatus”, scientific article published on 15 July 2005.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Africa; Southern Asia.
Common names
Also known in English as Hunting Leopard.
Names in other languages (13)
- Arabic
- فهد
- Bengali
- চিতা
- Chinese
- 猎豹
- French
- Guépard
- German
- Gepard
- Hindi
- चीता
- Indonesian
- citah
- Japanese
- チーター
- Persian
- یوزپلنگ
- Russian
- гепард
- Spanish
- chita, Guepardo
- Turkish
- Çita
- Urdu
- چیتا
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, measurements, names in other languages. Q23907, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Cheetah”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — James Temple, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — Mariomassone, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026