Cheetah laying on the ground looking at the camera with flowers and trees in the background.

Cheetah

Cheetah

Check out Australia Zoo’s Cheetahs!

Be sure to keep your eyes peeled in Australia Zoo’s very own Africa, as you might be lucky enough to spot our majestic cheetahs!  You can visit these fast felines at the Cheetah Grasslands, our state-of-the-art habitat with 2.5 acres of open grassland and natural waterways.  Our cheetahs love the smells, sights and sounds that Australia Zoo has to offer.

 

Baby cheetah laying in the grass half behind a red rock.

 

These impressive carnivores are the fastest land animal on the planet!  They can reach speeds of up to 112 kilometres (70 miles) per hour in just three seconds. Crikey!  Enabling their impressive speed, are semi-retractable claws, slender legs, elongated spine and long tail for balance.

 

Cheetah from neck up looking to the left.

 

Cheetahs will hunt rabbits, gazelles, warthogs and birds.  They are perfectly adapted to hunt during daylight hours to avoid predation from lions, hyenas and leopards.  They have black ‘tear marks’ connecting their eyes and mouth, which are used as an anti-glare mechanism.  Cheetah are not classified as a ‘big cat’ due to their inability to roar!  Instead they have retained the ability to purr – just like your domestic cat at home.

 

Cheetah from neck up with an open mouth.

 

Sadly, these gorgeous sub-Saharan Africans are a vulnerable species with as few as 7,000 individuals left in the wild.

  • Class of animal icon
    Class

    Mammalia

  • Genus of animal icon
    Genus

    Acinonyx

  • Species of animal icon
    Species

    jubatus

  • height of animal icon
    Length

    1 - 1.5 metres

  • weight of animal icon
    Weight

    34 - 54 kilograms

  • diet of animal icon
    Diet

    Carnivore

  • gestation of animal icon
    Gestation

    95 days

  • threatened species status of animal icon
    Status

    Vulnerable

Cheetah Plush