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Acinonyx jubatus
Order: Carnivora > Family: Felidae > Genus: Acinonyx > Species: Acinonyx jubatus
Common Names: Cheetah [English], Duma [Swahili]
Figure 1. Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) Courtesy of: W. T. Stanley. (c) Field Museum of Natural History. https://mm.fieldmuseum.org/42c0eb19-55e6-4b58-b98a-bcb8e38dccc3 (accessed on 16 Nov 2025)
Figure 2. Cheetah skulls (Acinonyx jubatus) - FMNH 39475, 39476 Courtesy of: R. A. Banasiak, P. Lai. (c) Field Museum of Natural History. CC BY-NC 4.0. https://mm.fieldmuseum.org/59692606-d6ea-4d6f-b896-44ab7d79ad3b (accessed on 16 Nov 2025)
Type Description
Die Saugethiere, 2(15):pl. 105 [1775]; text 3(22):392 [1777].
Type Locality
'südliche Afrika; man bekömmt die Felle vom Vorgebirge der guten Hofnung' [South Africa, Western Cape Province, Cape of Good Hope].
Measurements
Head and body: 1120-1500 mm |
Tail length: 600-800 mm |
Weight: 35-65 kg
Tail length: 600-800 mm |
Weight: 35-65 kg
Description
This strange cat is known for its high speed and inability to retract its claws unlike all other cats. Genetic tests have shown all cheetahs to be very similar to one another, even when African forms are compared to Asian populations.
Distribution
Found in patchy covering of savannas, and grasslands, Acinonyx jubatus ranges south of the Sahara in fragmented areas but is absent from very dry desert and extensive forests. (Kingdon, 1989, 1997)
Figure 3. Distribution Map of cheetahs in Tanzania (c) Field Museum of Natural History. https://mm.fieldmuseum.org/8a187d3a-d072-486d-998e-de4f12f6dba6 (accessed on 16 Nov 2025)
Key References
1. Kingdon, J. 1989. East African mammals: An atlas of evolution in Africa. (Carnivores). University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 3A:396-413. |
2. Kingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon field guide to African mammals, AP Natural World Academic Press, Harcourt Brace & Company, San Diego, p. 286-287. |
3. Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1:793-796, 834-836. |
4. Swynnerton, G. H., and R. W. Hayman. 1951. A checklist of the land mammals of the Tanganyika Territory and the Zanzibar Protectorate. Journal of the East African Natural History Society, 20(6):274-392.
2. Kingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon field guide to African mammals, AP Natural World Academic Press, Harcourt Brace & Company, San Diego, p. 286-287. |
3. Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1:793-796, 834-836. |
4. Swynnerton, G. H., and R. W. Hayman. 1951. A checklist of the land mammals of the Tanganyika Territory and the Zanzibar Protectorate. Journal of the East African Natural History Society, 20(6):274-392.