The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is the fastest land animal, capable of running at 80 to 128 km/h (50 to 80 mph). With acceleration that would leave most automobiles in the dust, a cheetah can go from 0 to 60 miles an hour in only three seconds. It is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. The coat is typically tawny to creamy white or pale buff and is mostly covered with evenly spaced, solid black spots.
SPEED AND HUNTING
This big cat is a daylight hunter that benefits from stealthy movement and a distinctive spotted coat that allows it to blend easily into high, dry grasses.When the moment is right a cheetah will sprint after its quarry and attempt to knock it down. Such chases cost the hunter a tremendous amount of energy and are usually over in less than a minute.
Four subspecies are recognised.
SOUTHEAST AFRICAN CHEETAH
Scientific name : A. j. jubatus
Native : Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia.
Appearance : The cheetah has a bright yellow or sometimes a golden coat, and its fur is slightly thicker than that of other subspecies. The white underside is very distinct, especially on the neck and breast, and it has less spotting on its belly. The spots on the face are more pronounced, and as a whole its spots seem more dense than those of most other subspecies.
ASIATIC CHEETAH
Scientific name : A. j. venaticus
Other name : Iranian cheetah
Native : Iran
Appearance : The Asiatic cheetah has a buff- to light fawn-coloured fur that is paler on the sides, on the front of the muzzle, below the eyes and inner legs. Small black spots are arranged in lines on the head and nape, but irregularly scattered on body, legs, paws and tail. The tail tip has black stripes. The coat and mane are shorter than of African cheetah subspecies.
NORTHEAST AFRICAN CHEETAH
Scientific name : A. j. soemmeringii
Other name : Sudan cheetah
Native : Northern Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia and South Sudan.
Appearance : It has a densely ochraceous spotted coat with relatively thick and coarse fur. The belly of the these cheetah is distinctly white while its breast and throat. However, it is the darkest in fur color. This cheetah has the most widespread and separated black dorsal spots. This cheetah has distinct white patches around its eyes but the facial spotting can vary from very dense to relatively thin. This subspecies' tail is also notably thick.
NORTHWEST AFRICAN CHEETAH
Scientific name : A. j. hecki
Other name : Saharan cheetah
Native : Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Sahara and Sahel.
Appearance : Its coat is shorter and nearly white in color, with spots that fade from black over the spine to light brown on the legs. The face has few or even no spots, and the tear stripes (dark stripes running from the medial canthus of each eye down the side of the muzzle to the corner of the mouth) are often missing.
KING CHEETAH
The king cheetah is a variety of cheetah with a rare mutation for cream-coloured fur marked with large, blotchy spots and three dark, wide stripes extending from the neck to the tail. Natives knew the animal as nsuifisi, believing it to be a cross between a leopard and a hyena.
