The cheetah is the fastest land animal, reaching speeds of up to 120km/h (74mph).

One stride covers from 6 – 9 metres (19 – 29ft).

It can cover 28m (91ft) in one second.

The scientific name for cheetah is Acinonyx jubatus – Acinonyx meaning ‘non-moving claws’ referring to the non retractable claws and jubatus, which means maned, referring to the mantle on a young cheetahs back.

                                     


                   



How fast can the cheetah run? ______________________________________

How does the cheetah keep it’s balance when turning at high speed? ________

To stop abruptly the cheetah has a pointed pad in the back of each front leg, which it slams into the ground to bring it to an abrupt stop.

Feet and Claws:

Cheetah’s foot pads are hard and less rounded than other cats; they act like tyre treads giving them better grip in fast turns.

The short blunt claws act like spikes on running shoes, they grip the ground for better traction when running for increased speed.

The dewclaws are located on the upper inside area of the foot and the cheetah uses these to hook and hold prey.

Cheetah Measurements

Cheetahs have been around for ages, and in the days of pharaohs, they were used for hunting.  It is said that one pharaoh had a stable of 1000 cheetahs. 

The king cheetah, once thought to be a separate species used to be named Acinonyx Jubatus Rex (Rex meaning king).  The discovery that the King cheetah is in fact Acinonyx Jubatus, a true cheetah species, was made at De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre in 1981.

Over the years, breeding cheetah in captivity had not been very successful, in 1975; Ann van Dyk of the De Wildt Cheetah Centre had a major breakthrough with 29 cubs being born that year.  By 2009 the Centre has bred over 800 cubs.