# Cheetah (*Acinonyx jubatus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/cheetah  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a species in the family Felidae, order Carnivora. Recorded adults weigh 35 kg to 40.2 kg. It has been recorded in 39 countries, most often in South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 35 kg – 40.2 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Main food | Eudorcas thomsonii, impala, Madoqua, springbok, Gazella subgutturosa, Dorcas gazelle and 28 more |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 92 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2.1 |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Recorded in | 39 countries |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Felidae
- genus: Acinonyx
- species: *Acinonyx jubatus* (Schreber, 1775)

Synonyms: *Cynaelurus jubatus*, *Felis jubata*

## Where it has been recorded

Countries with openly licensed sighting records on GBIF (records in brackets). Recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

South Africa (4582), Kenya (301), Tanzania (174), Benin (121), United States (75), Namibia (57), Germany (45), Iran (39), Botswana (34), Angola (15), Somalia (15), Zambia (15), Australia (11), Zimbabwe (11), Denmark (9), India (9), Sudan (9), Uganda (9), Ethiopia (8), Nigeria (5), Malawi (4), Mozambique (4), Switzerland (3), Algeria (3), Egypt (3), Niger (3), Netherlands (3), Senegal (3), Chad (3), Austria (2), Congo - Kinshasa (2), Cameroon (1), France (1), United Kingdom (1), Iraq (1), Libya (1), Morocco (1), Sierra Leone (1), Togo (1)

## Common questions

### How big is the cheetah?

An adult cheetah weighs 35 kg – 40.2 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

### Where does the cheetah live?

The cheetah has openly licensed sighting records from 39 countries on GBIF. The most records come from South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Benin and United States. These are recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

### Is the cheetah endangered?

The cheetah is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

### What does the cheetah eat?

Its recorded foods include Eudorcas thomsonii, impala, Madoqua, springbok, Gazella subgutturosa and Dorcas gazelle, among 34 on record.

### How long is the cheetah pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 92 days.

### What kind of animal is the cheetah?

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) belongs to the family Felidae in the order Carnivora.

## Sources

- [GBIF Backbone Taxonomy](https://www.gbif.org/dataset/d7dddbf4-2cf0-4f39-9b2a-bb099caae36c), CC BY 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org.
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/), CC0 1.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata, the free knowledge base.
- [GBIF occurrence aggregates (CC0 and CC BY records only)](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search), CC BY 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. GBIF.org occurrence search, country facet counts restricted to CC0 1.0 and CC BY 4.0 records.
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/), Per file, live API 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Licence and creator recorded per file.
- [English Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/), CC BY-SA 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

Cite as: Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/cheetah