

The cheetah is a unique felid, with its closest living relatives being the puma and jaguarundi of the Americas. This cat is notable for modifications in the species’ paws, being one of the few felids with only semi-retractable claws.

Its main hunting strategy is to run down swift prey such as various antelope species and hares. Almost every facet of the cheetah’s anatomy has evolved to maximise its success in the chase, the result of an evolutionary arms race with its prey. Due to this specialisation, however, the cheetah is poorly equipped to defend itself against other large predators, with speed being its main means of defence.


The cheetah is listed as vulnerable, facing various threats including competition with and predation by other carnivores, a gene pool with very low variability, and persecution by mankind. It is a charismatic species and many captive cats are “ambassadors” for their species and wildlife conservation in general.

The word “cheetah” is derived from Hindi ‘चीता’ (cītā), in turn from Sanskrit citrakāyaḥ, meaning “variegated”.

Genetics, evolution, and classification

The genus name, Acinonyx, means “no-move-claw” in Greek, while the species name, jubatus, means “maned” or “crested” in Latin, a reference to the dorsal crest found in cheetah cubs.



