Acinonyx jubatus jubatus

(Schreber, 1775)

Vernacular names
English : Southern Cheetah
French : Guépard d’Afrique du Sud

Classification
Class : Mammalia
Order : Carnivora
Family : Felidae
Notes : 4 other subspecies known.

Identification
Up to 145 cm body length, weight up to 54 kg. Unmistakable species. Long, slender and gracefully built. Fawn to yellow coat with black round spots. This subspecies is one of the biggest and usually has no white markings near eyes.

Range and habitat
This subspecies occurs in most of southern Africa. The species is found around subsaharan Africa (scattered populations) and in Iran. Lives in arid and semi-arid savannah, grasslands and shrublands.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : VULNERABLE
CITES : Appendix I
Status : Cheetahs went close to extinction and remain rare in the wild today, living mostly in protected areas. The Iranian subpopulation is almost extinct.
Ex-Situ Programs : SSP in America, EEP in Europe

Observation

 

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