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Cheetahs For Kids

Cheetahs are such cool animals and run seriously fast! You certainly wouldn’t be able to catch up with them. Read on for some cool cheetah facts so you’re in the know! 

Their scientific name is ‘Acinonyx Jubatus’ which comes from the word ‘chita’. Any ideas what that means? It means ‘spotted one’.

Well, the cheetah’s name definitely describes it well, don’t you think?!

cheetah facts

A Threatened Species 

Most of these big cats live in eastern and south-western Africa. A few (very few), are left living in Iran.

Cheetahs are considered a threatened species. It is believed that only 7,000 to 12,500 are left in the wild. That’s so sad!

Cheetahs have become threatened due to loss of habitat (a place where they live) and decreasing food sources.

great smoky mountains national park

A Cheetah and Her Cubs

A baby cheetah is called a cub.

Female cheetahs live alone unless she is caring for her cubs.

A mother cheetah usually has 3 to 5 cubs but up to 9 cubs can be born. A mother will stay with her cubs for 18 months. Then she will leave them.

The cubs will stay together for another 6 months. After 6 months, the females will leave on their own and the males will stay together for life.

cheetahs for kids

Cheetahs and Hunting

Cheetahs are carnivores, meaning they eat meat. They have brilliant eyesight. They can see up to 3 miles (nearly 5km) away! Wow, that really is far!

Cheetahs hunt in the day time. They use their excellent eyesight to look for prey, then sprint to pounce on them.


They eat wildebeest, warthogs, birds, zebras, gazelles, deer, antelopes and impalas.

After cheetahs catch their prey (food), they will bring it to a shady hiding place so other animals don’t see it.

Cheetahs do not like to fight. They will give up their prey if a larger, more aggressive animal approaches them, so that they avoid a fight. 

cheetahs for kids

Cheetahs – from the Cat Family 

Cheetahs are mammals like you, which mean that they are warm-blooded.

Cheetahs are in the cat family. That’s hardly a surprise, seeing as though they look like a cat!

Cheetahs are sometimes mistaken for leopards but a cheetah’s spots are more round and they have long black lines that run from their eyes to their mouth called tears.

Now you can tell the difference!

Both male and female cheetahs are called cheetahs.

Related: Animal Group Names.

black cat superstition

Interesting Facts about Cheetahs

A cheetah has between 2,000 to 3,000 spots! That is a lot of spots.

Cheetahs weigh between 69 to 140 pounds (31 to about 64 kilograms) and can be 4 feet (1.2 meters) long.

Cheetahs are the fastest land mammal in the world!


Cheetahs can run up to 60 miles per hour (about 97 kilometers) in 3 seconds, but they can go even faster. In fact, they can run at speeds up to 75 miles (121 kilometers) per hour!

Cheetahs do not roar like lions or tigers. They let out a chirping noise when they feel threatened and they purr if they feel happy. How cute is that?

lion roaring

Cheetahs usually live 7 to 10 years in the wild and 16 in captivity.

A cheetah’s predators are lions and hyenas.

Cheetahs were kept as pets and trained to help people hunt in Ancient Egypt.


So there you have the coolest facts about these awesome creatures! Ready for some more fun animal facts.


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