Cheetah.

The Cheetah is the fastest land animal on earth - reaching speeds of 110 km/h within seconds. It is the most unique and specialised member of the cat family. Protected in South Africa, Namibia and listed under the Endangered Species Act of the United States. Less than 13 000 remain worldwide - mostly in Sub Saharan Africa, with Namibia hosting the largest number. A few are also found in Iran, but in general extinct in Asia.

The cheetah has a slender, long-legged body with blunt semi-retractable claws, making this the “greyhound” of cats. 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 eyes down the sides of the nose to its mouth, keep the sun out of its eyes and aid in hunting. Cheetah's flexible spine, oversized liver, enlarged heart, wide nostrils, increased lung capacity, and thin muscular body make this cat the swiftest 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 hunt in the late morning and early evening. They capture their prey by stalking - until their prey is within 10-30 metres - before chasing. The prey is suffocated when a cheetah bites the underside of the throat. Chases last about 20 seconds, and rarely longer then 1 minute. About half of the chases are successful. Once a cheetah has made a kill, it eats quickly and keeps an eye out for scavengers such as lions, leopards, hyenas, vultures and jackals who will occasionally take away their kills. It is not an aggressive animal, using flight versus fight and therefore not a real fighter. At the end of the hunt the Cheetah is exhausted and vulnerable to attack by the larger hunters like the lion etc. This is the single largest contributing factor to the animals dwindling numbers, but also loss of habitat, poaching and a high cub mortality rate in both the wild and captivity. The animal generally does not breed well in captivity, but a number of successful programmes have been accomplished in South Africa.

The Cheetah is a very unique animal and an extremely beautiful cat specie. They tend to shy away and due to their non aggressive behaviour not easily seen in the wild as some of the other members of the cat family like the leopard etc. Note: the cheetah does not pose a threat to human life and attacks on humans are very, very rare. In general, when a cheetah is in the vicinity, the animal must first see you before closer inspection could be attempted - if safe to do so. Do not approach a cheetah from behind, or surprise/provoke the animal and keep away when young cubs are present. The cheetah roamed free for a number of years on SAAF bases without incident, although it has been recorded some cycling members arrived at work by a far brisker pace, on a few mornings!

More info:

Cheetah Outreach

Hoedspruit Research and Breeding Centre for Endangered Species.