Cheetah

Acinonyx jubatus · Felidae

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.

Where the Cheetah lives

Recorded in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, Botswana and Benin (Africa).

Most records fall in Limpopo, Rift Valley, Mara, Mpumalanga, Simiyu and Arusha.

See the Cheetah’s range on the globe

Conservation status

Vulnerable (VU). At risk: it could become endangered. Categories are the IUCN Red List as republished by GBIF.

Sources

The range is a density of 8,939 georeferenced GBIF records, not an expert-drawn map. Description from Wikipedia.