The fastest cat in the world, the cheetah

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Cheetahs (Cheetch), scientific name Acinonyx jubatus, are the fastest felines in the world. Listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 1975, Appendix I to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) in 2009, and listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Cheetahs are a large cat, the only extant species in the genus Cheetah. Wild populations are now found in Africa and Iran, and have historically been found in the countries of West Asia, Central Asia and South Asia, inhabiting more arid and hot open habitats, including grasslands, semi-deserts and bare rocks. While southern Africa is home to cheetahs, in North and West Africa cheetahs are considered critically endangered species. There are also small and remnants of Asian populations in the Islamic Republic of Iran, where cheetahs are assessed as critically endangered.

The coat is yellowish brown or pale yellow, the snout, chin, thorax, abdomen, and the inside of the limbs are white; the body surface is covered with black spots, which are smaller and solid than those of leopards; the head is small and round, the snout is short, the eyes are white spots, and the inner corner of the eye has a distinct black streak along both sides of the nasal snout. It is divided into 4 subspecies: the East and South African Cheetah, the North-East African Cheetah, the Northwest African Cheetah and the Asian Cheetah; the largest and largest of them is the East and South African Cheetah.

Cheetahs face a variety of threats to their survival in the wild, including habitat loss, hunting their prey for wild meat, illegal international trade, and conflict with humans.