---
title: "What the sources say about the Cheetah | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "57 claims from the Cheetah profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/cheetah-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/cheetah/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Cheetah (*Acinonyx jubatus*)

> 57 claims from the Cheetah profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Cheetah](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/cheetah/)

## Wilson et al. (2013). Locomotion dynamics of hunting in wild cheetahs. Nature.

https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12295

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The measured figure comes from a 2013 study: five wild cheetahs in Botswana wore GPS-and-motion collars through 367 runs, most of them hunts | a new tracking collar of our own design, containing a combination of Global Positioning System (GPS) and inertial measurement units, to capture the locomotor dynamics and outcome of 367 predominantly hunting runs of five wild cheetahs in Botswana (note: 2013 is the paper's publication year, not stated in the abstract text itself) |
| The top speed recorded was 25.9 meters per second, 58 mph (93 km/h), and most hunts involved only moderate speeds | A remarkable top speed of 25.9 m s(-1) (58 m.p.h. or 93 km h(-1)) was recorded, but most cheetah hunts involved only moderate speeds. |
| In 2013, biologists fitted five wild cheetahs in Botswana with custom GPS-and-motion collars and tracked 367 runs, most of them hunts | a new tracking collar of our own design, containing a combination of Global Positioning System (GPS) and inertial measurement units, to capture the locomotor dynamics and outcome of 367 predominantly hunting runs of five wild cheetahs in Botswana (note: 2013 is the paper's publication year) |
| The top speed recorded hit 25.9 meters per second, which is 58 mph (93 km/h), and most hunts involved only moderate speeds | A remarkable top speed of 25.9 m s(-1) (58 m.p.h. or 93 km h(-1)) was recorded, but most cheetah hunts involved only moderate speeds. |
| The same collars logged some of the highest acceleration, deceleration and power measurements recorded for any terrestrial mammal | We recorded some of the highest measured values for lateral and forward acceleration, deceleration and body-mass-specific power for any terrestrial mammal. (note: 'lateral and forward acceleration' shortened to 'acceleration'; 'body-mass-specific power' to 'power') |

## Cheetah. Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/cheetah

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The fastest land mammal alive | the cheetah is the world’s fastest land mammal (note: wilson-2013 says 'recognised as the fastest land animal', which is hedged, so the page takes the Smithsonian's flat wording and its word 'mammal') |
| sprinting on a spine that bends like a spring | A cheetah's spine works as a spring for its powerful back legs, extending the cheetah's reach with each step |
| across North Africa, the Sahel, and eastern and southern Africa | Cheetahs inhabit a broad section of Africa including areas of North Africa, the Sahel, eastern and southern Africa. |
| a critically endangered Asiatic population known to survive in Iran | The Asiatic cheetah is known to survive in Iran, but is critically endangered. |
| Thomson's gazelles, impalas, springbok, hares | Cheetahs eat small antelope including springbok, steenbok, duikers, impala and gazelles, as well as the young of larger animals including warthog, kudu, hartebeest, oryx, roan and sable. They also eat game birds and rabbits. |
| the young of larger antelope such as kudu and hartebeest | the young of larger animals including warthog, kudu, hartebeest, oryx, roan and sable |
| Accelerates 0 to 45 mph (72 km/h) in about 2.5 seconds | Cheetahs can accelerate from zero to 45 miles per hour (zero to 72 kilometers per hour) in just 2.5 seconds. (note: the quote spells out 'zero'; written as 0 for consistency with the mph/km-h figures) |
| with a tail that acts as a rudder for quick turning | The cheetah's tail acts as a rudder for quick turning, counteracting its body weight. |
| Zoos quote 60 to 70 mph, including the Smithsonian's own cheetah page | That top speed averages between 60 and 70 miles per hour (96 and 112 kilometer per hour) and can be maintained for only about 300 yards (274 meters). |
| the Smithsonian records 0 to 45 mph (72 km/h) in about 2.5 seconds | Cheetahs can accelerate from zero to 45 miles per hour (zero to 72 kilometers per hour) in just 2.5 seconds. (note: the quote spells out 'zero') |
| At top speed a stride covers 23 feet (7 meters) and comes four times a second | At top speed, they advance 23 feet (7 meters) in a single stride and complete four strides per second. |
| An adult cheetah weighs 34 to 64 kilograms (75 to 140 pounds) | An adult cheetah weighs 75 to 140 pounds (34 to 64 kilograms) |
| measures 112 to 142 cm (44 to 56 in) long, plus 66 to 84 cm (26 to 33 in) of tail, standing about 77 cm (30 in) at the shoulder | is about 30 inches (77 centimeters) tall at the shoulder and 44 to 56 inches (112 to 142 centimeters) long with another 26 to 33 inches (66 to 84 centimeters) in tail length |
| The tail acts as a rudder for quick turning, counteracting the cat's body weight | The cheetah's tail acts as a rudder for quick turning, counteracting its body weight. |
| shoulder blades floating free of the collarbone and hips that swivel on a flexible spine help lengthen its stride | Cheetahs have small collarbones and vertical shoulder blades, which are not attached to the collarbone, as well as hips that swivel on a flexible spine. These structural adaptations help lengthen their stride and provide superior acceleration. |
| large nasal passages leave little room for the long roots that anchor big teeth, so larger cats like lions easily overwhelm a cheetah | Their large nasal passages leave little room for the long roots required to anchor big teeth. Without large teeth, cheetahs' fighting abilities are limited. Larger, stronger cats like lions easily overwhelm them (note: the 'so' compresses the source's own three-step chain: little room for long roots, 'Without large teeth, cheetahs' fighting abilities are limited', then 'Larger, stronger cats like lions easily overwhelm them') |
| It opts for flight over a fight | cheetahs tend to opt for flight versus fight |
| its short teeth mean it kills by suffocation, clamping its jaws over the prey's windpipe | Because of their short teeth, cheetahs must kill prey by suffocation. ... cheetahs suffocate their prey by clamping down on the animal's windpipe |
| Cheetahs live across a broad section of Africa, from North Africa and the Sahel through eastern and southern Africa | Cheetahs inhabit a broad section of Africa including areas of North Africa, the Sahel, eastern and southern Africa. |
| Over the past 50 years they have become extinct in at least 13 countries | Over the past 50 years, cheetahs have become extinct in at least 13 countries |
| a small, critically endangered population of Asiatic cheetahs is known to survive in Iran | The Asiatic cheetah is known to survive in Iran, but is critically endangered. |
| Wild cheetahs live 8 to 10 years on average, and 12 to 15 in human care | The average lifespan of wild cheetahs is 8 to 10 years. In human care, the average lifespan is 12 to 15 years. |
| Lions, hyenas and sometimes groups of vultures can bully them off a kill, costing them about 50 percent of their food | they can be bullied away from their catch by lions, hyenas, and sometimes groups of vultures. Cheetahs lose about 50 percent of their food this way. |
| that same lack of variation makes them susceptible to disease | Cheetahs have very low levels of genetic variation compared to other mammals, making them susceptible to disease. |
| The Smithsonian's National Zoo records a cheetah going from a standstill to 45 mph (72 km/h) in about 2.5 seconds | Cheetahs can accelerate from zero to 45 miles per hour (zero to 72 kilometers per hour) in just 2.5 seconds. |
| At top speed a cheetah's stride covers 23 feet (7 meters) and repeats four times a second | At top speed, they advance 23 feet (7 meters) in a single stride and complete four strides per second. |
| Full sprints last about 20 seconds | Full sprints last about 20 seconds. |
| 0 to 45 mph (72 km/h) in about 2.5 seconds | Cheetahs can accelerate from zero to 45 miles per hour (zero to 72 kilometers per hour) in just 2.5 seconds. (note: vibe.reason) |
| weightKg: 50 | An adult cheetah weighs 75 to 140 pounds (34 to 64 kilograms) (note: battleStats.weightKg, midpoint of the Smithsonian's adult range; Medium class throughout, and ADW's 21 to 72 kg is Medium too) |

## Cheetah. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/cheetah

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| claws that grip like a track shoe's cleats | Hard and sharp claws act like cleats, providing great traction when running. |
| Grasslands, savannas and open plains | They prefer grasslands and open plains where they are well camouflaged and have room to run down their prey. (note: savannahs are in smithsonian-cheetah's habitat list: 'In Namibia, cheetahs live in a variety of habitats, including grasslands, savannahs, dense vegetation and mountainous terrain') |
| with the cat off the ground more than half its running time | To reach that speed, a cheetah is off the ground more than half of its running time! |
| A cheetah's claws don't get to stay sharp | Most of their claws are exposed, so they don't stay sharp like those of other cats. |
| Most cats retract their claws into fleshy sheaths that protect the points; cheetahs have no such sheaths, so most of their claws stay exposed and act like cleats, providing traction when they run | Hard and sharp claws act like cleats, providing great traction when running. A cheetah can retract its claws a bit, but the fleshy sheaths that protect the claws of most cats are absent in cheetahs. Most of their claws are exposed (note: the 'so' is the source's own chain: the sheaths are 'absent in cheetahs' and 'Most of their claws are exposed, so they don't stay sharp') |
| preferring grasslands and open plains with room to run down prey | They prefer grasslands and open plains where they are well camouflaged and have room to run down their prey. |
| They hunt by sight, watching a herd from a termite mound, creeping close, then charging | Cheetahs hunt by sight. But before a cheetah attacks or even begins to stalk its prey, it watches a herd from a high vantage point like a termite mound or a tree. ... and creeps as close as it can unnoticed. ... A cheetah tries to get within about 165 feet (50 meters) before it charges. |
| still catch only about half the attempts they make | cheetahs only catch about half of the hunting attempts they make |
| with the cheetah off the ground for more than half of its running time | To reach that speed, a cheetah is off the ground more than half of its running time! |
| After a chase a cheetah pants intensely, and its body temperature can reach as high as 105 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius) | Chasing prey takes enormous energy. Once caught, a cheetah holds its prey with a strangling bite to the neck. The cheetah pants intensely, and its body temperature can reach as high as 105 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius). (note: 'After a chase' is the source's own sequence: 'Chasing prey takes enormous energy. Once caught, a cheetah holds its prey with a strangling bite to the neck. The cheetah pants intensely') |
| It takes about 20 minutes for its breathing and temperature to return to normal, the same time it takes for the prey to suffocate | It takes about 20 minutes for its breathing and temperature to return to normal, the same time it takes for the prey to suffocate. |
| Most cats keep their claws retracted into fleshy sheaths that protect the points. Cheetahs don't have those sheaths | A cheetah can retract its claws a bit, but the fleshy sheaths that protect the claws of most cats are absent in cheetahs. |
| so most of their claws stay exposed and act like the cleats on a running shoe, giving great traction when they run | Hard and sharp claws act like cleats, providing great traction when running. ... Most of their claws are exposed (note: the 'so' is the source's own: the sheaths are 'absent in cheetahs' and 'Most of their claws are exposed') |
| semi-retractable claws digging into the earth like cleats | Hard and sharp claws act like cleats, providing great traction when running. A cheetah can retract its claws a bit, but the fleshy sheaths that protect the claws of most cats are absent in cheetahs. (note: vibe.reason; the Smithsonian page also says 'semi-retractable claws provide great traction') |

## Acinonyx jubatus (cheetah). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Acinonyx_jubatus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Thomson's gazelles | Cheetahs have a carnivorous diet, of which a large portion includes gazelles, especially the Thomson’s gazelle. |

## Hetem et al. (2019). Body temperature, activity patterns and hunting in free-living cheetah: biologging reveals new insights. Integrative Zoology.

https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12341

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A study that implanted data loggers in five wild Namibian cheetahs | body temperature and locomotor activity measured with implanted data loggers over 7 months in 5 free-living cheetahs in Namibia |
| found they hunted if an opportunity appeared, on occasion in the midday heat or in total darkness | Cheetahs hunted if an opportunity presented itself; on occasion they hunted in the midday heat or in total darkness (new moon) |
| held their body temperature steady whatever the climate | maintained homeothermy irrespective of the climatic conditions (note: homeothermy is a stable body temperature) |

## Dobrynin et al. (2015). Genomic legacy of the African cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus. Genome Biology.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13059-015-0837-4

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Sequencing wild-born African cheetahs in 2015 found their genomes on average 95 percent homozygous | Here the genome sequence of wild-born African cheetahs reveals extreme genomic depletion in SNV incidence, SNV density, SNVs of coding genes, MHC class I and II genes, and mitochondrial DNA SNVs. Cheetah genomes are on average 95 % homozygous (note: 2015 is the paper's publication year; seven wild-born cheetahs from Namibia and Tanzania were sequenced) |
| against 24 percent in an outbred housecat and 63 percent in an inbred Abyssinian | compared to the genomes of the outbred domestic cat (24.08 % homozygous), Virunga Mountain Gorilla (78.12 %), inbred Abyssinian cat (62.63 %) (note: 24.08% and 62.63% rounded to 24 and 63) |
| The likely cause is a population crash in Africa roughly 11,000 to 12,600 years ago, at the same time as the late Pleistocene extinction of large mammals | Demographic estimators impute two ancestral population bottlenecks: one >100,000 years ago coincident with cheetah migrations out of the Americas and into Eurasia and Africa, and a second 11,084–12,589 years ago in Africa coincident with late Pleistocene large mammal extinctions (note: 11,084-12,589 rounded to 11,000-12,600; 'likely' for the paper's 'impute', and smithsonian-cheetah hedges the same link as 'This genetic similarity may have developed due to of a severe population reduction, or bottleneck') |
| Unrelated cheetahs accept skin grafts from each other as if they were clones | Cheetahs accept surgically exchanged skin grafts as if they were immunologic clones |

## Durant et al. (2024). Acinonyx jubatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024: e.T219A259025524.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2024-1.rlts.t219a259025524.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Vulnerable | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). |