Scientific Name - Acinonyx Jubatus Cheetahs live for 12 to 14 years in the wild. They have a slender, long-legged body with blunt semi-retractable claws.  Its coat is tan with small, round, black spots, and the fur is coarse and short.  The cheetah has a small head with high-set eyes.  Black 'tear marks' which run from the corner of its eye down the sides of the nose to its mouth, keep the sun out of its eyes and aids in hunting. The average adult has a body length of 112-135cm and weighs 34-54kg.  The male being slightly larger than the female.

The cheetah's flexible spine, oversized liver, enlarged heart, wide nostrils, increased lung capacity, and thin muscular body makes this cat the fastest hunter in Africa.  Covering 7-8 metres in a stride, with only one foot touching the ground at a time, the cheetah can reach a speed of 110 km/h in seconds.  At two points in the stride, no feet touch the ground. Cheetahs thrive in areas with vast expanses of land where prey is abundant.  In Namibia cheetahs have been found in a variety of habitats, including grasslands, savannahs, dense vegetation and mountainous terrain. Once found throughout Asia and Africa, the species is now only scattered in Iran and various countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

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