Top 14 Most Fascinating Facts About the Cheetah

If a cheetah carries a melanistic gene, it may produce entirely black cubs (although the spots can still be seen upon closer inspection). These black panthers are not a separate species, but rather a color variation. The black form is much rarer than the typical spotted pattern, occurring in only about 6% of the South American cheetah population. The first recorded sighting of a black cheetah was in 2004 in the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico. Black cheetahs have also been spotted in Costa Rica's Alberto Manuel Brenes Biological Reserve, in the Cordillera de Talamanca mountains, in Barbilla National Park, and in eastern Panama.

Some evidence suggests that the melanistic allele is dominant and supported by natural selection. These black color forms may represent a heterozygous advantage, although this has yet to be conclusively demonstrated in captive environments. Melanistic cheetahs (or 'black' cheetahs) are primarily found in South America, with no known populations in the subtropical or temperate regions of North America. They have never been recorded north of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico.

Extremely rare albino cheetahs, sometimes referred to as white cheetahs, have also been documented among this species, similar to other big cats. As with other natural albinism cases, evolutionary pressures typically maintain a low frequency of such mutations.

The adult cheetah is an apex predator, meaning it sits at the top of the food chain and is not typically preyed upon in the wild. It is also considered a keystone species, as its control over herbivore populations, such as grazing mammals and seed eaters, helps maintain the structural integrity of forest ecosystems. However, determining the precise ecological impact of cheetahs is challenging because data must be compared between regions where they are present and absent, while also accounting for human activity in these areas.

It is generally accepted that, in the absence of top predators like the cheetah, mid-sized prey species tend to experience population growth. This has been hypothesized to cause a cascading negative effect on the ecosystem. However, field studies have suggested that such population increases may simply be part of natural variability, and the growth may not be sustained. Therefore, the concept of the cheetah as a keystone predator is not universally accepted by scientists.

Cheetahs also affect other predator species. Cheetahs and jaguarundi, another large cat from South America (though the largest in Central and North America), often share overlapping territories, and studies typically examine these two species together. Cheetahs tend to hunt larger prey, usually over 22 kg (49 lb), while jaguarundi tend to focus on smaller animals, typically ranging from 2 to 22 kg (4.4 to 48.5 lb), which can limit the size of their prey. This dynamic may give cheetahs an advantage.

By hunting larger prey, cheetahs may also gain an advantage in changing human-influenced landscapes. Although both species are considered endangered, jaguarundi have a much wider distribution range. Depending on prey availability, jaguarundi and cheetahs may even share food resources.

Female cheetahs reach sexual maturity at around two years of age, while males mature at three or four. Cheetahs can mate throughout the year in the wild, with higher birth rates when prey is abundant. Studies of captive male cheetahs support the theory of year-round mating, with no seasonal variation in semen characteristics or ejaculate quality, although reproductive success has been observed to be low in captivity.

The cheetah's generation length is approximately 9.8 years. The female's estrus period lasts 6-17 days within a 37-day cycle, and females attract males with the scent of urine and increased vocalizations. Both sexes expand their range during mating season. After mating, the pair separates, and the female takes on all responsibilities for raising the cubs. The gestation period lasts between 91 and 111 days, and females can give birth to up to four cubs, though two is more common.

Females will not tolerate the presence of males after giving birth, as males may kill the cubs, a behavior also seen in tigers. In 2001, a male cheetah killed and partially consumed two cubs at Emas National Park. DNA paternity tests from blood samples confirmed that the male was the father of the cubs. Two other instances of cub killings were recorded in northern Pantanal in 2013.

Newborn cheetah cubs are blind and unable to open their eyes, which develop after two weeks. Cubs are weaned at three months but remain hidden in a den for another six months before venturing out with their mother to hunt. They stay with her for one to two years before establishing their own territory. Males typically leave first, competing with older individuals until they successfully claim a territory, which can range from 25 to 150 km², depending on prey density. In the wild, cheetahs typically live 12-15 years, while in captivity, they can live up to 23 years, making them one of the longest-living big cats.

Like most cats, cheetahs are solitary animals, except for mothers who live with their cubs. Adult cheetahs usually meet only to mate, and while socialization is rare, it has been occasionally observed. They establish large individual territories. Females maintain territories between 25 to 40 km², which can overlap, though they tend to avoid each other. Male territories, which are typically twice as large, do not overlap, and may include multiple females. Cheetahs mark their territories with scratches, urine, and feces.

Like other big cats, cheetahs are capable of roaring to warn territorial or mating competitors; intense confrontations between individuals have been observed in the wild. Their roar sounds more like repeated coughing, and they can also produce growls and mews. Males sometimes engage in mating disputes, though these are rare, and territorial conflicts are more common. A male cheetah’s territory can encompass two or three females, and he will not tolerate the intrusion of other adult males.

Cheetahs are typically described as nocturnal, but more specifically, they are crepuscular, meaning they are most active during dawn and dusk. Both males and females hunt during these peak times, though males often travel further each day due to their larger territories. While they are capable of hunting during the day when prey is available, cheetahs are relatively active cats, spending 50-60% of their time in motion. Their elusive nature and the inaccessibility of their preferred habitats make them difficult to observe and even harder to study.

Like all felines, cheetahs are obligate carnivores, meaning they exclusively eat meat. The American cheetah is a solitary hunter and only hunts alone, except during the mating season. As opportunistic predators, their diet is highly diverse, encompassing at least 87 different species. Their powerful jaws enable cheetahs to kill prey differently from other big cats: they bite directly through the skull of their prey between the ears, delivering a fatal blow to the brain.

Cheetahs are capable of hunting nearly any terrestrial or riverbank vertebrate found in Central or South America, except for large crocodiles like the black caiman. They are also skilled swimmers and regularly dive underwater to catch turtles and fish. Their strong bite allows them to pierce the shells of turtles like the Podocnemis unifilis and Chelonoidis denticulatus. Compared to their Old World cousins, cheetahs have a broader diet, as the tropical Americas offer a wide variety of smaller animals, although in relatively low numbers, and a diverse range of large hoofed mammals, which cheetahs prefer.

They frequently hunt adult caimans, except for black caimans, as well as deer, capybaras, peccaries, dogs, South American gray foxes, and occasionally anacondas. They will also hunt any available smaller prey, including frogs, rodents, birds (mainly ground-dwelling species like cracidae), fish, sloths, monkeys, and turtles. A study conducted at the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize revealed that cheetahs there mainly feed on armadillos and pacas. Some cheetahs have also been known to hunt livestock and domestic pets.

While cheetahs typically use a method of biting the throat and suffocating their prey, a technique common in the Panthera genus, they sometimes use a completely different killing method from their relatives. They deliver a powerful bite through the temporal bone of the skull between the prey's ears (especially in capybaras), piercing the brain with their canine teeth. This could be an adaptation to break through the shells of turtles; after the Pleistocene extinction, hard-shelled reptiles like turtles became a plentiful food source for cheetahs.

The skull-biting technique is mostly used on mammals. For reptiles like caimans, cheetahs may leap onto their prey's back and sever the spinal cord, immobilizing the target. When attacking sea turtles, including leatherbacks weighing around 385 kg, cheetahs will bite the head, often decapitating the prey, before dragging it away to feed. It is also reported that when hunting horses, a cheetah may jump on the horse’s back, place one paw on the muzzle and another behind the neck, and twist, dislocating the neck. Locals have reported that when hunting a pair of horses, the cheetah will kill one and then drag it away while the other horse remains alive.

For smaller prey like dogs, a swift swipe with sharp claws to the skull can be enough to kill. Cheetahs are more ambush predators than pursuers. Though they can run up to 70 km/h, they lack stamina, so they usually rely on stalking and are rarely involved in long chases. They move slowly through the forest, listening and lying in wait before rushing or ambushing their prey. Cheetahs typically launch their attacks from dense cover, often from the prey's blind spot, with an explosive burst of speed; their ambush skills are considered almost unrivaled in the animal kingdom. Their ambush may even include jumping into the water if the prey is submerged, as cheetahs are quite capable of killing prey while swimming. One notable record even mentions a cheetah dragging a large cow carcass from the water to a tree to avoid flooding.

Once the prey is killed, the cheetah will drag the carcass to a safe or secluded spot. It begins feeding at the neck and chest rather than the abdomen. The heart and lungs are consumed first, followed by the shoulders. The daily food requirement for a cheetah weighing 34 kg, at the lower end of its weight range, is estimated to be 1.4 kg. For a captive cheetah weighing 50–60 kg, over 2 kg of meat per day is recommended. In the wild, food intake is more erratic; cheetahs expend significant energy in hunting and killing, and they can consume up to 25 kg of meat in one sitting, then may go without food for several days.

The jaguar population is rapidly declining. Classified as near-threatened by the IUCN Red List, the jaguar has suffered from significant habitat loss, including extinction from its historical northern range, and increasing fragmentation of its remaining territory. A sharp decline occurred during the 1960s when over 15,000 jaguars were killed annually for their pelts in Brazil's Amazon region. The 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) significantly curtailed the pelt trade. Research conducted under the Wildlife Conservation Society’s guidance reveals that the jaguar has lost 37% of its historical range, with an additional 18% of its global range still unaccounted for. However, there is hope, as survival probabilities are estimated to be high in 70% of its remaining range, particularly in the Amazon Basin and adjacent Gran Chaco and Pantanal regions.

Key threats to jaguars include habitat destruction from deforestation, increased competition with humans for food, especially in dry and non-reproductive areas, poaching, storms in the northern parts of their range, and retaliatory killings by ranchers who often kill jaguars for preying on livestock. Jaguars, when adapting to available prey, have been shown to favor cattle as a significant part of their diet. While land clearing for grazing is a major problem, jaguar populations may have increased when cattle were first introduced to South America, as the new prey base became a valuable resource. This preference for hunting domestic animals has led to the hiring of full-time jaguar hunters by farmers.

The pelts of wild cats and other mammals have been highly sought after by the fur trade industry for decades. From the early 20th century, jaguars were hunted extensively, but overhunting and habitat loss reduced availability, prompting hunters and traders to focus on smaller species by the 1960s. The international trade of jaguar pelts reached its peak between the end of World War II and the early 1970s, driven by economic growth and a lack of regulations. After 1967, national laws and international agreements helped reduce international trade from a high of 13,000 pelts in 1967 to just 7,000 in 1969, until it became negligible by 1976. Despite this, illegal trade and poaching remain persistent issues. During this period, Brazil and Paraguay were the largest exporters, while the U.S. and Germany were the primary importers.

On a track designed for athletes and recognized by the USA Track & Field Federation, set up by the Cincinnati Zoo, zoo staff and National Geographic experts measured the speed and times of five jaguars as they ran multiple 100-meter sprints. The results revealed times ranging from 5.95 to 9.97 seconds. Sarah, one of the zoo's jaguars, was the fastest, completing the distance in 5.95 seconds. Her top speed reached 98 km/h.

The jaguar is faster than any living creature on Earth over a 100-meter sprint, far surpassing human athletic records. Currently, Usain Bolt holds the 100-meter world record at 9.58 seconds, set at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Germany. Yesterday, Bolt also set an Olympic record of 9.63 seconds, winning the gold in the men's 100 meters.

Since the jaguars in the zoo were running in controlled conditions and were well-fed, experts believe that jaguars in the wild can run even faster. In the wild, they regularly chase prey that can run incredibly fast, such as antelopes and horses. Moreover, the stakes are much higher for wild jaguars, as failing to catch prey means hunger for themselves and their cubs, making their drive to catch prey even stronger.

The population of Cheetah Jaguars in the Middle East has drastically decreased due to habitat loss from oil extraction and illegal trafficking, with each individual fetching a price between $6,600 and $10,000.

More than 300 Cheetah Jaguars are trafficked annually in Somaliland, Somalia, according to the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF). This trade is particularly prevalent in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, where these cats are seen as symbols of wealth. A Cheetah Jaguar's price can vary between $6,600 and $10,000, depending on size and color, as reported by CNN.

The CCF estimates that around 1,000 Cheetah Jaguars are held in captivity by private owners in the Gulf states, despite the region's laws against wildlife trade. The illegal trade in Saudi Arabia is becoming increasingly problematic. "Many of the captured Cheetah Jaguars suffer from broken bones as they are crammed into small cages during transportation, with some dying before reaching their destination," said Laurie Marker, founder of the CCF.

In recent years, several initiatives have been launched to raise awareness about the need to protect Cheetah Jaguars. Non-profit conservation projects have been established, and August 31st has been designated as National Cheetah Day in Iran. Despite these efforts, the CCF predicts that the population of Cheetah Jaguars will continue to decline. Conservationists have struggled to maintain stable numbers in these regions, facing serious challenges. Oil extraction in the Middle East has also affected the jaguar's habitat, with many cases of Cheetah Jaguars being hit by trucks while crossing highways.

Not only are Cheetah Jaguars fierce land hunters, but they also possess impressive swimming abilities. In fact, when it comes to swimming, Tigers are slightly superior to Cheetah Jaguars.

Both Tigers and Cheetah Jaguars are among the few members of the cat family that are not averse to entering the water. They have even earned a reputation as skilled aquatic hunters, as adept in the water as they are on land. However, when it comes to swimming prowess, Tigers hold the edge, as their muscular build is better suited for swimming than that of the Cheetah Jaguar.

Tigers, particularly those living in the Sundarbans mangrove forest in the Bay of Bengal, can swim distances of up to 29 kilometers daily as they patrol their hunting grounds. These Tigers have even been known to launch attacks on large prey such as deer, antelopes, wild boars, buffaloes, and even crocodiles while in the water.

While Cheetah Jaguars are also competent swimmers, they are not quite as powerful as Tigers. They are fully capable of taking down dangerous prey like Caiman crocodiles (a small species of alligator) while submerged in water.

However, Caiman crocodiles and other prey in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America (the natural habitat of Cheetah Jaguars) are still smaller compared to the larger animals that Tigers hunt, including bigger crocodiles. Additionally, although Cheetah Jaguars have stronger jaws, their muscular build and forelimbs are not as powerful as the Tiger’s, the largest cat species on the planet.

In pre-Columbian Central and South America, the jaguar was a symbol of power and strength. Among the Andean cultures, the first Chavín civilization, which flourished around 900 BC, popularized a jaguar cult that spread across what is now Peru. Later, the Moche civilization of northern Peru used the jaguar as a symbol of authority, frequently depicting it on their pottery. For the Muisca people, who inhabited the cool Altiplano Cundiboyacense region of Colombia's Andes, the jaguar was considered a sacred animal. During religious ceremonies, people wore jaguar skins, which were traded with lowland tribes of the tropical Llanos Orientales. The name of the zipa (tribal chief) Nemequene is derived from the Muysccubun words 'nymy' and 'qyne', meaning 'strength of the jaguar'.

In Central Mesoamerica, the Olmec civilization—an early and influential culture near the Gulf Coast—developed stylized representations of jaguars or jaguar-like humans in sculptures and small statues. Later, the Maya believed jaguars served as intermediaries between the living and the dead, protecting royal families. These powerful cats were seen as spiritual companions, and several Maya rulers adopted names combining 'jaguar' in the Maya language.

In contemporary culture, the jaguar and its name have become prominent symbols. It is the national animal of Guyana and appears on the country's coat of arms. The flag of Amazonas, a region of Colombia, features a black jaguar charging toward a hunter. Jaguars are also depicted on Brazilian currency. In modern South American mythology, the jaguar often represents a creature imbued with the power of fire, granting strength to humans.

The English term 'jaguar' has been widely adopted as a brand name, notably by a British luxury car manufacturer. It is also used in sports franchises, such as the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars and Mexico’s Chiapas F.C. The national rugby league of Argentina features a jaguar on its emblem. However, due to a journalist’s mistake, Argentina’s national rugby team is nicknamed 'Los Pumas'. Reflecting the ancient Maya culture, the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City featured a jaguar mascot, which was the first official Olympic mascot in history.

The jaguar (scientific name: Panthera onca) is one of the five largest members of the cat family, alongside lions, tigers, leopards, and snow leopards. It is the only species among these five that is native to the Americas. Today, the jaguar's range extends from the southwestern United States and Mexico in North America, through most of Central America, and down to Paraguay and northern Argentina in South America. Although there are isolated individuals still living in the western U.S., the species has largely been extinct in the country since the early 20th century. Jaguars are classified as a near-threatened species in the IUCN Red List, with their numbers continuing to decline. Major threats to their survival include habitat loss and fragmentation. As the largest wild cat in the Americas, the jaguar ranks as the third largest cat species globally, after the tiger and lion. It possesses the most powerful bite of any cat, with a unique method of attacking by striking the head of its prey rather than its throat.

While jaguars resemble leopards and are closely related to them, they also exhibit behaviors similar to tigers, particularly in their affinity for water. Jaguars are generally larger, stockier, and more robust than leopards, with larger, more distinct spots. These spots often have black centers, which is why they are called 'spotted' jaguars. They also have shorter, sturdier legs and a shorter tail compared to the leaner, longer-tailed leopard. The spots on a leopard tend to cluster together in a flower-like pattern, while a jaguar's spots are larger and more spaced out.

Jaguars inhabit a variety of terrains, from forests to open areas, but they prefer humid tropical and subtropical rainforests, swamps, and wooded regions. They are excellent swimmers and are solitary hunters, often employing opportunistic, stealthy tactics to ambush their prey. As apex predators, jaguars play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem stability and controlling prey populations.

While international trade in jaguars or their body parts is prohibited, they are still frequently killed, especially in conflicts with farmers and ranchers in South America. Although their numbers are dwindling, their range remains expansive. The jaguar has been a prominent figure in the mythology of many indigenous American cultures, including the Maya and Aztec civilizations.

The jaguar is the only surviving New World member of the Panthera genus. DNA analysis reveals that lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, snow leopards, and clouded leopards share a common ancestor, which dates back six to ten million years ago. Fossil records show that Panthera as a genus appeared only 2 to 3.8 million years ago. It is believed that Panthera evolved in Asia. The jaguar is thought to have diverged from a common ancestor of Panthera species at least 1.5 million years ago and entered the Americas during the early Pleistocene through Beringia, a land bridge that once connected Asia to North America. Mitochondrial DNA analysis of jaguars suggests their lineage evolved between 280,000 and 510,000 years ago.

Genetic studies have generally indicated that the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) forms the base of this group. The placement of other species varies across studies and is still unresolved.

Based on morphological evidence, British zoologist Reginald Innes Pocock concluded that the jaguar is most closely related to the leopard. However, DNA evidence does not strongly support this, and the jaguar's position among other species varies between studies. Fossils of extinct Panthera species, such as the European jaguar (Panthera gombaszoegensis) and North American lion (Panthera atrox), show features that are characteristic of both lions and jaguars.

The jaguar is a compact, muscular animal. It is the largest feline native to the Americas and the third-largest in the world, following only the tiger and lion in size. Its fur is typically golden-yellow but can range to reddish-brown over most of its body, with a white underbelly. Its coat is covered in distinctive spots that provide camouflage in the dim light of its forested habitat. These spots and their shapes vary among individual jaguars: some have rings of spots with a central dot. The spots on the head, neck, and tail are generally larger and may merge to form a stripe. Jaguars from forested areas tend to be darker and smaller compared to those in open regions, possibly due to a lower abundance of large herbivore prey in forests.

Jaguars vary significantly in size and weight, typically ranging from 56 to 96 kg. Exceptional males have been recorded weighing up to 158 kg, while females are smaller, averaging about 36 kg. Females are typically 10-20% smaller than males. Their body length, from nose to tail, ranges from 1.12 to 1.85 m. Jaguars have the shortest tails among big cats, measuring between 45 to 75 cm. Their legs are short but strong and powerful, notably shorter than those of a similarly-sized tiger or lion. At the shoulder, jaguars stand about 63 to 76 cm tall.

Size also varies across regions, with jaguars in the south generally being larger than those in the north. Jaguars in the Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve along the Pacific coast of Mexico weigh around 50 kg, similar to a lioness. In South America, jaguars in Venezuela or Brazil are much larger, with males averaging about 95 kg and females between 56-78 kg.

With their robust, compact limbs, jaguars excel at climbing, crawling, and swimming. Their powerful jaws and strong bite make them the most powerful of all felines, exceeding even lions and tigers. A 100 kg jaguar can bite with a force of 503.6 kgf at the canine teeth and 705.8 kgf at the carnassial teeth. This allows them to pierce the skin of reptiles and even crush the shells of turtles. A study comparing bite force relative to body size ranked the jaguar as the top big cat, alongside the clouded leopard, surpassing both tigers and lions. It's been reported that "a jaguar can carry an 800 lb (360 kg) cow in its jaws and crush even the heaviest bones."

While jaguars resemble leopards, they are generally more solidly built and heavier. The two species can be distinguished by the size and pattern of their spots: jaguar spots are larger, fewer, and darker, often surrounded by thicker lines with smaller spots in the center—features missing from leopards. Jaguars also have rounder heads and shorter legs compared to leopards.