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Cheetah
The fastest land animal — a lean, spotted sprinter built for pure speed, and, since 2022, back on Indian soil after seven decades.
How to spot it
A slender, long-legged cat built entirely for speed — a small head, deep chest, solid black spots (not rosettes) and two black "tear" lines running from the eyes to the mouth. It is far lighter than a leopard, with a lean, greyhound-like body.
Where it lives
The open grasslands and semi-deserts of Africa, with a tiny population of the Asiatic subspecies clinging on in Iran. It needs wide open country to build up speed and hunts by day to avoid lions and hyenas.
What it eats
A carnivore that sprints down gazelles and other small antelope, reaching around 100 km/h in bursts of a few hundred metres. The chase is exhausting, so it must rest before it can eat — and often loses the kill to stronger predators.
Behaviour & life
Unusually for a cat it hunts in daylight. Males sometimes form small groups (coalitions), often brothers, while females raise cubs alone. Its claws do not fully retract, acting like running spikes for grip.
In India
The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952. In 2022, African cheetahs were brought to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh — the first intercontinental big-cat reintroduction. Globally the species is Vulnerable; the Asiatic form is Critically Endangered.
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