African cheetahs are found commonly in the Sahara desert in Saharan Africa.

The name "cheetah" comes from a Hindi word that means "spotted animal" obviously because this animal is totally covered by spots all over the body except in its abdomen and the throat area.

Their small head is completely not proportional to its 45 to 53 inch body length.

Scientific Classification

African cheetahs, or scientifically referred to as Acinonyx jubatus, are members of the Felidae or cat family.

Sometimes because of similarity with other species, cheetahs may often be confused with leopards. One identifying mark would be the tear mark (a black fur running from the eyes to the mouth) found on the cheetahs' face, which the leopards does not have.

The average weight of cheetahs is about 50 kilograms, and although males are slightly larger and have bigger heads than the females, there is no clear distinction between the opposite sexes in terms of appearance alone.

Fastest Land Animal

The African cheetahs are known for their unique speed, the fastest among land animals with speed ranging 112 to 120 km/hour. They would typically cover distances of up to 1,500 feet in short bursts with a capacity to increase of up to 110 km/hour; however, they can only keep up with this speed for short periods only.

Some contributing factors for the cheetahs astonishing speed includes:

• The slender body.
• The long legs.
• Exposed claws for easy traction when running.
• The long tail (average of 33 inches) helps maintain the balance and turns during high speeds.

The cheetahs are members of the cat family but what they have in speed they lack in climbing abilities.

King Cheetahs

The cheetahs may have fur pattern mutation. Those with large, blotchy, and merge spots, particularly having a distinctive pelt pattern are commonly known as king cheetahs.

The king cheetahs were first seen in Zimbabwe and were once misidentified as belonging to another subspecies. But because of lack of evidence and after a thorough study, it was found out that they were a mere mutation of cheetahs.

Some Added Facts

Cheetahs are carnivore and eat small animals that they hunt using their keen eyesight. The natural spots of African cheetahs make it possible for them to camouflage in the grass and wait for their prey. They use their incredible speed to catch their prey where they target the throat to block the windpipe until breathing stops.

Cheetah Cubs

Female cheetahs usually give birth to 2 to 4 cubs after ninety to ninety-five days of gestation.

The mother starts to teach the cub the kill technique when they are six months old, but they can leave the den after six weeks when they are strong enough to hunt on their own or join the pack in hunting. The cub however goes back and stays with the mother for at least one year to continue learning some hunting and survival techniques.

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