Cheetah
Cheetahs are sprinters. Their lean muscular body, flexible spine, enlarged heart, increased lung capacity and wide nostrils help make this cat the swiftest hunter in Africa and the fastest land animal in the world!
Cheetahs can reach speeds of 75mph and are capable of accelerating to 60mph in less than 3 seconds – that’s faster than a Ferrari sports car! Although they can quickly reach high speeds, they cannot sustain this over long distances and only sprint to chase prey. It takes 20 minutes for a cheetah’s breathing and body temperature to return to normal. This is when they’re most at risk of losing hard-won prey to larger predators such as lions and hyenas.
Wild female cheetahs are solitary, whereas males are very sociable and live in groups of four or five called coalitions. Chester Zoo currently has a male coalition of three cheetahs called Matrah, Singa, and Burba – all named after places where these cats are found in the wild.
Our Cheetahs are part of a European Endangered Species Breeding Programme. Through our NEZS Conservation and Research Grants scheme, we’re also supporting cheetah conservation with the N/a’an ku sê Carnivore Research Project. This project is working to reduce livestock-carnivore conflicts on Namibian farmland.
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Species Information
Where they live: Historically found in the Middle East and southwestern Asia, but there is now only a small population left in Iran. The remaining populations are found in Africa.
Habitat: Open grassland, savannahs, dry bush and scrub habitats, dense vegetation and mountain terrain
Size: Length (including tail): up to 219cm
Shoulder height: up to 94cm
Weight: 36 – 65kg
Conservation status: IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
Threats: Historically cheetahs were widely hunted for fur. They have an unusually low genetic variability, making them inheritably vulnerable. Today, the cheetah populations suffer more from the loss of both habitat and prey. The reduced accessibility to both of these resources increasingly brings them into conflict with larger predators and also farmers.