Marvelously Staggering Facts About the Cheetah, Animal Sake

The name cheetah comes from the ancient Indian word Chitraka, which in Sanskrit means 'speckled'. This big cat has an air of fierce grace about it. Its dog-like build, combined with ghostly stalking skills, makes it one of the most intelligent and deadly hunters alive. Watching cheetahs move through the wild is one of nature's most breathtaking sights.

The Need for Speed

The Lamborghini 'Murcielago Lp640' is one of the fastest cars ever made. Its V-12 engine, 6496cc cylinder, 4 valves per cylinder, and Pirelli P-Zero 'ROSSO' racing tyres rocket it from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.8 seconds. Impressive, right? Now consider this: four slender cheetah legs powered by a flexible spine do the same job in just 3 seconds, leaving the Lamborghini in the dust. Just another day in the life of a cheetah.

Cheetah sprinting at full speed across open grassland — The cheetah righteously stands unparalleled as the fastest animal on this planet, covering 500 meters at around 75 mph.

The cheetah is the undisputed fastest animal on the planet. During a hunt, it launches into short explosive bursts, covering up to 500 meters (1,600 feet) at around 75 mph. True story!

In Swahili, the word for cheetah is Duma. It is also the title of a popular film about an orphaned boy who befriends a cheetah.

Built for the Chase: Anatomy

People often mix up cheetahs and leopards, but they are easy to tell apart once you know what to look for. The cheetah has two bold black lines called tear lines that run from each eye down to the corner of its mouth. Its body is also much slimmer and more lightly built than the leopard's stocky frame.

Close-up portrait of a cheetah showing its distinctive black tear-stripe markings — The cheetah's two black tear lines are its most distinctive feature, they also help reduce glare from the sun during a hunt.

The cheetah has a narrow waist, long sturdy legs, and a deep chest. Its claws are blunt and semi-retractable, they stay slightly out at all times, gripping the ground like running spikes. A cheetah weighs between 75 and 145 pounds and stands about three feet tall at the shoulder. Its body is 110-135 cm long, and its tail can reach another eighty-four centimeters.

Its body is packed with speed adaptations. Large nostrils, an enlarged heart, and big lungs all work together to push as much oxygen as possible to its muscles during a sprint. The tail, tipped with a bushy white tuft, acts like a ship's rudder, helping the cheetah steer sharply when chasing prey.

The coat is covered in small black spots on golden fur. Under the neck and along the belly, there is a gray patch of softer fur, and that part has no spots at all. In the long yellow grass of the savanna, this pattern is perfect camouflage. The cheetah can creep close to prey without being seen.

Cheetah

0-100 km/h in 3 sec

Lamborghini Murciélago

0-100 km/h in 3.8 sec

Usain Bolt (record)

Top speed ~45 km/h

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The Hunt

Cheetah crouching in tall golden grass, eyes fixed on unseen prey — Vision, not scent, is the cheetah's primary hunting tool. It stalks to within 20-30 meters before launching its explosive sprint.

Unlike most big cats, the cheetah hunts mainly by sight, not smell. It creeps to within 20-30 meters of its prey before launching its sprint. The chase is usually over in less than a minute.

Its hunting technique is precise. The cheetah trips the prey mid-run, then bites the underside of the throat, cutting off the animal's air supply by pressing on the vital artery inside the neck. It then has to guard the catch quickly, before hyenas or lions can steal it.

Cheetahs usually hunt alone, though males sometimes team up. Hunts happen at dawn or dusk, which makes them diurnal predators, active in daylight, unlike most big cats.

Despite its incredible speed, a cheetah tires fast. If a chase goes on too long, it will simply give up and try again later.

The cheetah is the least adaptable big cat of all, it can't easily adjust to new environments. It lives for about twelve years in the wild and up to twenty years in captivity. It hunts small and medium-sized animals, often up to a hundred pounds in weight. Its favorite prey includes the Thomson's Gazelle, impala, wildebeest calves, guinea-fowls, and hares.

Cheetahs can go two or three days without drinking water. They get most of the moisture they need from the blood of their prey.

Unlike lions and tigers, cheetahs cannot roar. When angry, they spit and hiss. When content (such as during mating or while socialising) they purr and make a distinctive stuttering sound.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the name 'cheetah' mean?

It comes from the Sanskrit word Chitraka, meaning 'speckled'.

How fast can a cheetah run?

Around 75 mph (120 km/h), reaching that speed in just 3 seconds.

How many cheetahs are left in the wild?

Around 7,000-10,000, mainly in eastern and southwestern Africa.

Can cheetahs roar?

No, unlike lions or leopards, cheetahs cannot roar. They purr, hiss, and make a distinctive chirping sound instead.

How is a cheetah different from a leopard?

Cheetahs have two distinctive black 'tear lines' running from their eyes to their mouth, a lighter and more slender build, and solid spots (not rosettes).

Cubs, Coalitions, and Family Life

Two cheetah cubs playing together in African savanna grass — Cheetah cubs are born helpless, but grow fast, at just six weeks they follow their mother on hunts, and reach full maturity by 18 months.

When a female cheetah is ready to mate, she makes a distinct growl and the male responds. She is pregnant for about 3 months before giving birth in a hidden, secluded spot. This is important, helpless cubs are often hunted by hyenas and lions. Because the mother must roam far to find food, the cubs spend a lot of time alone.

Cubs grow up fast. From six weeks old, they follow their mother and eat from her kills. They wrestle each other and practise pouncing, clumsily at first. By 18 months they are fully mature.

Male cheetahs often form tight-knit brotherhoods. These groups of males look out for each other and aggressively defend their territory from rival males.

Cheetahs and Humans: A Long History

Cheetah mother with young cubs resting in savanna — Only about 7,000-10,000 cheetahs survive today, the cheetah's and human companionship dates back thousands of years, yet it is now one of Africa's most threatened big cats.

Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great was said to have kept a total of 9,000 cheetahs over his lifetime. He kept detailed records of every single one. At his court, they were known as the 'Khasa', the Imperial Cheetah.

Records from China and Europe in the middle of the twentieth century describe a royal sport called 'coursing'. A cheetah would be fitted with a hood over its head and taken into the forest on a cart pulled by cows or horses. A rider would remove the hood when prey appeared, and the cheetah would bolt after it. When it made the catch, the rider rewarded it with a large piece of meat before leading it back to the stables.

Cheetahs were brought in large numbers from Africa to India and Iran, where they were trained to hunt alongside kings. They were called 'Hunting Leopards'. Sadly, cheetahs were completely wiped out in India because of poaching and habitat loss. The Indian government is now working with Iran to bring Asiatic cheetahs back to India and set up breeding grounds in the country.

The bond between cheetahs and humans is ancient. Egyptians, Persians, and Indians all used cheetahs as hunting companions, the cheetah would chase down prey, and the human would collect the catch. Great rulers across history (including Genghis Khan, Charlemagne, and Emperor Haile Selassie of Abyssinia) kept cheetahs as royal pets. They appear in paintings, myths, and religious art across many cultures. The sad irony is that today, the same animal admired for centuries is hunted for its skin.

Conservation: A Species Under Threat

Cheetah family group on the African savanna — A major survival threat to their existence is inbreeding, which reduces immunity and makes cheetahs prone and susceptible to diseases.

One of the biggest threats to cheetahs is inbreeding, when closely related animals mate with each other. This reduces their immunity, making them more likely to catch diseases and less able to cope with changes in their environment. Inbreeding is harmful to many animals, including dogs and horses, but it is an especially serious problem for cheetahs.

Today, cheetahs are mostly found in eastern and southwestern Africa, with a small population in Iran. Only about 7,000-10,000 cheetahs remain on the planet.

Glossary: Cheetah Key Terms

Term	What it means
Semi-retractable claws	Unlike most cats whose claws retract fully into sheaths, cheetah claws stay semi-extended, acting like cleats for grip during sprints.
Tear lines	The two black streaks running from each eye to the mouth. They are thought to reduce sun glare and may help focus the cheetah's gaze on prey.
Diurnal	Active during the day. Cheetahs hunt at dawn and dusk, the opposite of most big cats, who prefer the cover of night.
Inbreeding	Mating between closely related individuals. It reduces genetic diversity and can lead to weaker immune systems and birth defects, a major problem for cheetah populations.
Coursing	A royal hunting sport practised in medieval China and Europe in which a hooded cheetah was released to chase prey on command, then rewarded with meat.
Vulnerable (IUCN)	A conservation status meaning the species faces a high risk of extinction in the wild if nothing is done to protect it.