The Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) or huntingleopard (Acinonyx jubatus) is a carnivorousanimal resembling a cat, but not a true member of the cat family as the claws cannot be sheathed, and so placed in its own genus Acinonyx which contains just one species.
The Cheetah is yellow-brown in colour with dark spots, weighs about 40 kg and while formerly found from Africa through the Middle East to southern Asia is now endangered surviving just in parts of Africa. The Cheetah is famous for its speed, having been timed running at a speed of 112 kmh but a more usual speed of running being about 80 kmh, though these speeds can only be maintained over short distances. The Cheetah can reach a speed of 64 kmh from being stationery in two seconds, fast enough to catch any gazelle.
Unusually, female Cheetahs have the larger territory, living solitary lives except for breeding, the males living in groups of between two and five individuals, and exhibiting aggression towards females and their cubs when they meet. Cheetahs were formerly trained and used for hunting, first by the Ancient Egyptians then by the Persians, the Indians and later proving very popular with the French monarchy. Research Cheetah More pictures of Cheetah
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