Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) Fact Sheet: Physical Characteristics

"Medium" sized cat

• Similar size to American cougar
• American cougar which may the cheetah's closest relative

Unique morphological traits

• Slight build with a deep narrow chest
• Swayback with flexible spine
• Long, thin legs
• Small feet with blunt, unsheathed claws
• Dewclaw enlarged
• Pads extremely hard and pointed in front
• Front paws have longitudinal ridges

Other physical features

• Tail
• Long
• Used as rudder during high-speed chases
• Head and face
  
• Head small and rounded
  
• Neck short
• Ears rounded
• Face foreshortened
• Enlarged nasal apertures
• Teeth
• Relatively small, particularly the canines
• Adaptations for speed
• Enlarged lungs, bronchi, heart, adrenals

Adult pelage

• Varies from region to region
• Tawny to light brown with white underparts
• Small and large solid black spots
• Arrangement unique to each individual
• Short ruff
• More developed in males
• Longer in "King Cheetah" (see description below)
• Hair fluffy on belly and chest
• Outer tail ringed black and white
• Tail tip usually white
• Black ear backs, nose, "tear tracks" and lips
• Tear streak extends from corner of eye to upper lip (behind canines)

Juvenile pelage

• Light gray and brown
• Spots darker gray at birth
• Coat tawny by four months, but gray mantle persists 15+ months
• Mantle of long, gray to blue-black hair

"King Cheetah"

• Refers to a specific coat coloration and pattern
• Caused by a single recessive gene
• Produces a blotched coat pattern
• "Spots" elongate and merge to form an irregular pattern
• Including thick, elongate stripes along spine
• Rare regional variant found in/around Zimbabwe
• "King" cheetahs and "regular" cheetahs can occur in same litter

Juvenile cheetahs

Image credit: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.

"King cheetahs" are a genetic rarity. The stripes on the which run along the animal's back result from inheriting a single, recessive gene from both parents. It is not uncommon for "king" a cheetah to have siblings without this distinctive appearance.

Image credit: © Yasa_ from Flickr. Some rights reserved.

Caro (1994)
Eaton (1974)
Estes (1990)
Londei (2000)
Williams et al (1997)