The cheetah is a member of the cat family. It is a poor climber that hunts by speed. It is the fastest of all land animals and can reach speeds of up to 105 kilometres per hour. It can accelerate from 0 to 110 kilometres per hour in three seconds.

The cheetah has long legs and a thin body. Its chest is deep and its waist is narrow. It has a small head with high-set eyes. Black "tear marks" run from the corner of its eyes down the sides of the nose to its mouth. This helps keep sunlight out of its eyes and helps with hunting.

The adult animal weighs from 40 to 65 kilograms. Its total body length is from 115 to 135 centimetres, while the tail can measure up to 84 centimetres in length. Males tend to be slightly larger than females. They also have slightly bigger heads.  

The cheetah's paws have special claws that help the cat in its high-speed pursuits. Other adaptations to organs that enable the cheetah to run so fast include a large heart and lung. During a chase its breathing rate increases from 60 to 150 breaths per minute. While running and chasing, the cheetah uses its tail to allow it to take curves and even turn at very sharp angles as necessary.  

Females give birth to up to nine cubs. These cubs weigh from 150 to 300 grams. Unlike some other cats, the cheetah is born with its spots. The death rate is very high during the early weeks. Lions and other animals kill up to 90% of cubs during this time. Cubs leave their mother between thirteen and twenty months after birth. They live up to twelve years in the wild.

Unlike males, females live a lone life, though some mother/daughter pairs have been seen. The first eighteen months of a cub's life are important. In this period, the mother has to teach the cubs many lessons. Future survival depends on knowing how to hunt and how to avoid enemies. At eighteen months, the mother leaves the cubs, who then form a group that will stay together for another six months. After about two years, the females leave the group. The young males will remain together for life. 

The cheetah eats meat. While other big cats mainly hunt by night, the cheetah hunts either early in the morning or later in the evening. The cheetah hunts by vision rather than smell. It tries to quietly get to within 10-30 metres of the animal it is after, and then chases it. The chase is usually over in less than a minute, and if the cheetah fails to make a quick catch, it will often give up rather than waste energy. The cheetah has an average hunting success rate of around 50%. 

Another reason the cheetah may give up chases is because running at such high speeds puts a great deal of pressure on its body. When running at speed, the cheetah's body temperature becomes so high that it would be dangerous to continue. This is why the cheetah is often seen resting even after it has caught its prey. While resting the cheetah risks a 50% chance of losing its catch to other animals. 

The cheetah kills its prey by tripping it during the chase, then biting it on the underside of the throat. It then proceeds to feast on its catch, hopefully before its kill is taken. Cheetahs do not seek out old or weak animals. In a pinch, they may go for long periods without food, or even water rather than break these rules.  

Today, cheetahs have a growing economic importance in tourism. Because cheetahs are less dangerous to humans than other big cats, cubs are sometimes sold as pets. Indeed, the ancient Egyptians often kept them as pets, and also tamed and trained them for hunting. This tradition was passed on down the centuries. As recently as the 1930s, the Emperor of Abyssinia, Haile Selassie, was often photographed with his cheetahs. 

The cheetah though is in great danger. Once hunted for its fur, it faces the loss of its natural home and food supply. Of all the big cats, it is the least able to adapt to new environments. It has also proved difficult to breed. The cheetah is now found primarily in Africa. Scientists have recently discovered surviving populations in Iran and are taking steps to protect them. There have been several reports of cheetahs in remote areas Pakistan, with at least one dead animal being recovered recently. There is also a chance that some cheetahs remain in India, though it is doubtful. 

Cheetahs are included on the World Conservation Union index of species in danger.  Approximately 12,400 cheetahs remain in the wild; Namibia has the most, with about 2,500. 

Founded in Namibia in 1990, the Cheetah Conservation Fund's mission, as its name implies, is to achieve the best possible practice in the protection of the world's cheetahs. South Africa set up a similar foundation in 1993.