Acinonyx jubatus

Length: 110-150 cm (43-56")

Tail: 65-90 cm (26-35")

Weight: 35-65 kg (77-143 lb.)

Status: vulnerable; protected by CITES and the African Convention; numbers are declining due to habitat loss

Habitat: Any area that supports a large population of small to medium-sized antelope will support cheetah. Open woodlands, savannas and grasslands all meet the cheetah's needs provided the vegetation is not too dense or the ground cover too broken. Cheetahs do like environments where there is sufficient cover for them to stalk within sprinting distance of their prey.

Role: carnivore

Food: Cheetahs thrive on small to medium-sized antelope. In the Serengeti-Mara, their preferred prey is Thomson's gazelles. They also hunt Grant's gazelles and impala on a regular basis. Wildebeest and topi calves will be taken but a spirited defense by the calf's mother will usually succeed in driving off the cat. Zebra foals and buffalo calves may be attacked but such hunts are very rare. The defense systems of these two ungulates is too intimidating for cheetahs. Cheetahs will also eat smaller animals such as hares, groundsquirrels and rodents.

Predators: Lions, spotted hyenas and leopards all kill cheetahs