猎豹是猎豹属的唯一幸存物种。
猎豹的脚印有可见的爪尖，更像是狗的脚印，而不是典型的猫的脚印。
与其他哺乳动物相比，猎豹的遗传变异水平非常低，因此它们容易感染疾病。这种遗传相似性可能是由于大约 10,000 年前发生的人口严重减少或瓶颈所致。

Cheetah

1. The cheetah is the single surviving species of the genus Acinonyx.

2. A cheetah's footprints have claw tips visible, more like a dog's than like a typical cat's print.

3. Cheetahs have very low levels of genetic variation compared to other mammals, making them susceptible to disease. This genetic similarity may have developed due to of a severe population reduction, or bottleneck, that occurred about 10,000 years ago.

   Class:    Mammalia        
       Order:    Carnivora        
       Family:    Felidae        
       Genus and Species:    Acinonyx jubatus 

猎豹
类别：哺乳动物
订单：食肉目
科：猫科
属和种：Acinonyx jubatus

Cheetah

A cheetah's slender body is built for speed. Accelerating from zero to 45 in just 2.5 seconds, it is the fastest land mammal and can reach top speeds of 60 to 70 mph (69 to 112 kilometers per hour). Cheetahs inhabit the African savanna but are vulnerable to extinction due to loss of habitat and limited genetic diversity.

猎豹纤细的身体是为速度而生的。它在短短 2.5 秒内从零加速到 45 秒，是最快的陆地哺乳动物，最高时速可达 60 至 70 英里/小时（69 至 112 公里/小时）。猎豹栖息在非洲大草原，但由于栖息地丧失和遗传多样性有限，它们很容易灭绝。

身体描述

猎豹的身体修长，腿长，爪子钝，半伸缩。他们的头很小，眼睛很高。黑色泪痕从每只眼睛的内角一直延伸到嘴巴。与其他大型猫科动物相比，猎豹的牙齿较小，可以容纳较大的鼻腔，可以快速吸入空气。

成虫有黄色或棕褐色短而粗糙的皮毛，带有直径为 0.75 至 1.5 英寸（1.9 至 3.8 厘米）的纯黑色圆形或椭圆形斑点。斑点几乎覆盖整个身体；只有白色的喉咙和腹部没有标记。尾巴末端有四到六个黑色环和浓密的白色或黑色簇。

猎豹的斑点可以作为狩猎和隐藏的伪装。它们的斑点可能会抵消它们经常栖息的灰色草丛中的阴影，使它们能够与周围环境融为一体。伪装不仅对于跟踪猎物至关重要，而且对于保护猎豹幼崽免受捕食者的侵害也是必不可少的。猎豹幼崽的烟灰色披风可以在枯草中起到额外的伪装作用。就像人类的指纹一样，猎豹的斑点和尾巴的环纹是独一无二的，使该领域的研究人员能够识别个体。

猎豹是为速度而设计的，是速度最快的陆地哺乳动物。他们以最高速度单步前进 23 英尺（7 米），每秒完成四步。最高速度平均在每小时 60 到 70 英里（每小时 96 到 112 公里）之间，并且只能保持大约 300 码（274 米）。猎豹可以在 2.5 秒内从零加速到每小时 45 英里（每小时零到 72 公里）。没有其他陆地哺乳动物能超越它们的短距离冲刺。

特殊的爪垫和半伸缩爪提供强大的牵引力。大鼻孔和肺部提供快速进气，使猎豹在奔跑和窒息猎物时更容易呼吸。一个大的肝脏、心脏和肾上腺有助于快速的身体反应。灵缇犬般的身体在轻巧的骨骼上呈流线型。猎豹有小的锁骨和垂直的肩胛骨，它们不附着在锁骨上，以及在灵活的脊柱上旋转的臀部。这些结构调整有助于延长他们的步幅并提供卓越的加速。猎豹的尾巴作为快速转向的方向舵，抵消了它的体重。

猎豹的眼睛有拉长的视网膜中央凹（视网膜的小而无杆的区域），使它们能够清晰地观察周围环境。他们的小而扁平的头部允许他们的眼睛定位以实现最大的双眼视觉。每只眼睛下方的黑色泪痕可以通过最大限度地减少太阳的眩光来帮助狩猎。它们还可以提供增强的恐吓能力。猎豹的脊椎为其强大的后腿起到了弹簧的作用，每走一步都可以伸展猎豹的活动范围，但这种运动在生理上是很费力的。

猎豹为它们的速度付出了代价。它们的大鼻道几乎没有为固定大牙齿所需的长牙根留下空间。没有大牙齿，猎豹的战斗能力是有限的。像狮子这样更大、更强壮的猫很容易压倒它们，所以猎豹倾向于选择逃跑而不是战斗。由于它们的牙齿短，猎豹必须通过窒息杀死猎物。

尺寸

成年猎豹重 75 至 140 磅（34 至 64 公斤），肩高约 30 英寸（77 厘米），身长 44 至 56 英寸（112 至 142 厘米），另外 26 至 33 英寸（66 至 84 厘米） ) 的尾长。雄性略大于雌性。猎豹有时会与豹子混淆——豹子是一种重得多的动物，有玫瑰花状的斑点，没有泪痕。
原住民栖息地

猎豹栖息在非洲的广大地区，包括北非、萨赫勒地区、非洲东部和南部。在过去的 50 年里，猎豹已经在至少 13 个国家灭绝，其中以东非的肯尼亚和坦桑尼亚以及南部非洲的纳米比亚和博茨瓦纳最为普遍。众所周知，亚洲猎豹在伊朗生存，但已极度濒危。猎豹在广阔的土地上繁衍生息，猎物丰富。在纳米比亚，猎豹生活在各种栖息地，包括草原、大草原、茂密的植被和山区。随着人类发展扩展到他们喜欢的栖息地，现在可以在商业农场中找到猎豹。
沟通

猎豹不会咆哮，但它们发出的声音包括咕噜声、吠叫声、咆哮声、嘶嘶声和啁啾声，这与任何其他猫科动物的不同。最常见的发声是啁啾。另一种常见的发声被称为“eeaow”。它很像猫的叫声，但没有初始低频。另一种常见的发声是口吃，这似乎是一种直接的请求。当出现对女性的高度兴奋和/或唤醒时，男性会结结巴巴。当雌性希望幼崽留在原地或跟随她时，它们会结结巴巴地走向幼崽。

常见的配音：

   啁啾：类似于鸟的啁啾或狗的叫声，一英里外都能听到强烈的啁啾声。发情的雌性通过鸣叫来吸引雄性。两性在痛苦时都会发出啁啾声。雄性在与联盟成员分离时可能会鸣叫，在团聚时可能会鸣叫；妈妈和幼崽也会这样做。 2001 年在史密森尼国家动物园进行的一项研究中，个体之间的鸣叫声各不相同，这表明猎豹可能能够仅通过鸣叫来识别彼此。
   口吃：断断续续的（短的，断断续续的）呻吟声，听起来像鸽子的咕咕声
   咕噜声：类似于家猫的咕噜声。可能暗示满足的近距离发声。它可以在母亲和幼崽之间听到。不寻常的是，它可能会持续几分钟，并且在猫吸气和呼气时连续产生。在“史密森的答案书：猫”中，Seidensticker 和 Lumpkin 引用 Gustav Peters 的话说，“除了听觉信号之外，发出咕噜声期间的体表振动还可以作为触觉信号”，特别是因为猫通常彼此靠近咕噜咕噜的时候。
   叫喊声：大声啁啾，绝望地叫唤着寻找另一只猎豹。

Physical Description    

Cheetahs have slender, long-legged bodies with blunt, semi-retractable claws. Their heads are small with high-set eyes. A black tear mark runs from the inner corner of each eye down to the mouth. A cheetah's teeth are small when compared with other big cats, which accommodates their larger nasal passages that enable quick air intake.

Adults have yellow or tan short, coarse fur with solid black round or oval spots measuring 0.75 to 1.5 inches (1.9 to 3.8 centimeters) in diameter. The spots cover nearly the entire body; only the white throat and belly are unmarked. The tail ends with four to six black rings and a bushy white or black tuft.

Cheetahs' spots may serve as camouflage for both hunting and hiding. Their spots may offset the shadows in the gray-hued grasses they often inhabit, allowing them to blend in with their surroundings. Camouflage is essential not only for stalking prey, but also for protecting cheetah cubs from predators. A cheetah cub's smoky gray mantle may serve as added camouflage among dead grasses. Much like a human fingerprint, a cheetah's spots and the ring pattern of its tail are unique, enabling researchers in the field to identify individuals.

Cheetahs are aerodynamically built for speed and are the fastest land mammal. At top speed, they advance 23 feet (7 meters) in a single stride and complete four strides per second. That top speed averages between 60 and 70 miles per hour (96 and 112 kilometer per hour) and can be maintained for only about 300 yards (274 meters). Cheetahs can accelerate from zero to 45 miles per hour (zero to 72 kilometers per hour) in just 2.5 seconds. No other land mammal surpasses their short sprints.

Special paw pads and semi-retractable claws provide great traction. Large nostrils and lungs provide quick air intake that allows cheetahs to breathe more easily while running and suffocating their prey. A large liver, heart and adrenal gland facilitate a rapid physical response. A greyhound-like body is streamlined over light bones. Cheetahs have small collarbones and vertical shoulder blades, which are not attached to the collarbone, as well as hips that swivel on a flexible spine. These structural adaptations help lengthen their stride and provide superior acceleration. The cheetah's tail acts as a rudder for quick turning, counteracting its body weight.

Cheetahs' eyes have elongated retinal foveas (the small, rodless areas of the retina), giving them a sharp, wide-angle view of their surroundings. Their small, flat-faced heads allow their eyes to be positioned for maximum binocular vision. The dark tear marks beneath each eye may aid in hunting by minimizing the sun's glare. They may also provide an enhanced ability to intimidate. A cheetah's spine works as a spring for its powerful back legs, extending the cheetah's reach with each step, but the movement is physiologically taxing.

Cheetahs pay a price for their speed. Their large nasal passages leave little room for the long roots required to anchor big teeth. Without large teeth, cheetahs' fighting abilities are limited. Larger, stronger cats like lions easily overwhelm them, so cheetahs tend to opt for flight versus fight. Because of their short teeth, cheetahs must kill prey by suffocation.

Size    

An adult cheetah weighs 75 to 140 pounds (34 to 64 kilograms), is about 30 inches (77 centimeters) tall at the shoulder and 44 to 56 inches (112 to 142 centimeters) long with another 26 to 33 inches (66 to 84 centimeters) in tail length. Males are slightly larger than females. Cheetahs are sometimes confused with leopards—a much heavier animal with rosette-shaped spots and no tear marks.

Native Habitat    

Cheetahs inhabit a broad section of Africa including areas of North Africa, the Sahel, eastern and southern Africa. Over the past 50 years, cheetahs have become extinct in at least 13 countries, and they are most prevalent in Kenya and Tanzania in east Africa, and Namibia and Botswana in southern Africa. The Asiatic cheetah is known to survive in Iran, but is critically endangered. Cheetahs thrive in areas with vast expanses of land where prey is abundant. In Namibia, cheetahs live in a variety of habitats, including grasslands, savannahs, dense vegetation and mountainous terrain. As human development expands in to their preferred habitat, cheetahs can now commonly be found on commercial farms.

Communication    

Cheetahs do not roar, but they make sounds including purrs, barks, growls, hisses and chirps that are unlike those of any other cat. The most common vocalization is the chirp. Another common vocalization is what has been termed the "eeaow." It is a lot like the meow of a cat, but does not have the initial low frequency. Another common vocalization is the stutter, which appears to be a direct solicitation. Males stutter when it appears that there is a high level of excitement and/or arousal toward a female. Females stutter toward cubs when they either want them to stay put or to follow her.

Common vocalizations:

• Chirping: Similar to a bird's chirp or a dog's yelp, an intense chirp can be heard a mile away. Estrus females chirp to attract males. Both Sexes chirp when distressed. Males may chirp when separated from members of their coalition and may chirp when reunited; mom and cubs will do the same. In a study conducted at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in 2001, chirping sounds varied from individual to individual indicating that cheetahs may be able to identify each other by chirps alone.

• Stuttering: Staccato (short, disconnected) moan that sounds like a pigeon cooing

• Purring: Similar to a house cat's purring. A close-range vocalization that may suggest contentment. It can be heard between mother and cubs. It is unusual in that it may go on for minutes and is produced continuously both while the cat inhales and exhales. In "Smithsonian Answer Book: Cats," Seidensticker and Lumpkin quote Gustav Peters as saying that "the body surface vibration during purring may serve as a tactile signal in addition to the auditory one," especially because cats are generally in close proximity to each other when purring.

• Yelping: Loud chirp, desperate call to locate another cheetah.

食物/饮食习惯

猎豹是肉食性动物，吃各种小动物。虽然大多数猫是夜间捕食者，但猎豹主要是昼行性的，在清晨和傍晚捕食。由于他们更依赖视觉而不是嗅觉，他们喜欢从 kopje 或白蚁丘的顶部扫描乡村。在最终加速之前，猎豹通常会在目标受害者 100 码（91.4 米）内爬行。完整的冲刺持续大约 20 秒。

猎豹吃小型羚羊，包括跳羚、大羚羊、小羚羊、黑斑羚和瞪羚，以及大型动物的幼崽，包括疣猪、kudu、hartebeest、羚羊、roan 和黑貂。他们也吃野鸟和兔子。

大约一半猎豹的猎物追逐是成功的。如果成功捕捉到动物，猎豹会通过夹住动物的气管使猎物窒息。猎豹的下颚结构可以产生虎钳般的抓握力。非常小的动物，比如野兔，被简单地咬破头骨就死了。但无论是大餐还是小餐，猎豹都吃得很快，因为它们可能会被狮子、鬣狗，有时还有一群秃鹰欺负而无法捕食。猎豹以这种方式损失了大约 50% 的食物。猎豹有异常干净的饮食习惯：它们不会回到它们的猎物中，也不会吃腐肉。他们留下猎物的骨头和内脏。六周时，幼崽足够强壮，可以跟随狩猎，当他们大约六个月大时，母亲会捕捉活的猎物，让他们练习杀戮。

动物园里的猎豹每天要吃 3.5 磅碎牛肉。有时会给予冷冻兔子和牛股骨以进行丰容。猎豹每天喂两次——早上喂食和下午/晚上喂食。

Food/Eating Habits    

Cheetahs are carnivorous and eat a variety of small animals. While most cats are nocturnal predators, cheetahs are primarily diurnal, hunting in the early morning and late afternoon. Since they depend on sight more heavily than smell, they like to scan the countryside from a kopje, or the top of a termite mound. Cheetahs usually creep within 100 yards (91.4 meters) of an intended victim before the final acceleration. Full sprints last about 20 seconds.

Cheetahs eat small antelope including springbok, steenbok, duikers, impala and gazelles, as well as the young of larger animals including warthog, kudu, hartebeest, oryx, roan and sable. They also eat game birds and rabbits.

About half a cheetah's prey chases are successful. If successful in catching an animal, cheetahs suffocate their prey by clamping down on the animal's windpipe. The jaw structure of a cheetah can create a vise-like grip. Very small animals, like hares, are killed by a simple bite through the skull. But whatever the meal, large or small, cheetahs eat quickly, as they can be bullied away from their catch by lions, hyenas, and sometimes groups of vultures. Cheetahs lose about 50 percent of their food this way. Cheetahs have unusually clean eating habits: they do not return to their kill nor do they eat carrion. They leave the bones and entrails of their prey. At six weeks, the young are strong enough to follow the hunt and when they are about six months old the mother will capture live prey for them to practice killing.

Cheetahs at the Zoo are fed 3.5 pounds of ground beef each day. Frozen rabbits and beef femurs are sometimes given for enrichment. The cheetahs are either fed twice a day—a morning feeding and an afternoon/evening feeding.

社会结构

猎豹在猫科动物中有着独特的社会秩序。成年雌性是孤独的，而成年雄性则不是。成年雌性与成年雄性互动的时间仅够繁殖，而雌性则自行抚养幼崽。在 18 个月大时，母亲离开幼崽，然后幼崽组成一个兄弟姐妹群，再呆在一起 6 个月。大约两年后，女性兄弟姐妹离开该群体并变得孤独，而年轻的男性兄弟姐妹则在一个称为联盟的群体中终生在一起。联盟通常由两到三个同窝仔组成，是一个联系非常紧密的团体。单身男性并不常见，通常不会存活很长时间。这个联盟将共同生活和狩猎，共同争夺一块领土，其中可能包括几个女性的家园。

在两岁左右，当雄性达到性成熟时，它们会寻找远离父母的区域，有时甚至可达 300 英里（482 公里）。男性领地的面积通常为 5 到 10 平方英里（13 到 26 平方公里），尽管它可能会扩展到 50 平方英里（130 平方公里）。联盟将在可能吸引瞪羚群的环境中宣称领土，例如靠近水的地方。

然而，年轻的雌性通常与它们的母亲占据相同的范围，尽管所有雌性都是孤独的，除非它们有窝。雌性家庭范围可以从 322 到 370 平方英里（833 到 958 平方公里），并跟随迁徙的瞪羚群。由于旱季资源稀缺，几个雌性范围可能会重叠。在此期间，雌性可能会在很少或没有攻击性的情况下彼此相遇。

Social Structure    

Cheetahs have a unique social order among felids. Adult females are solitary, while adult males are not. Adult females interact with adult males only long enough to breed, and females raise their cubs on their own. At 18 months, the mother leaves the cubs, who then form a sibling group that stays together for another six months. At about two years, the female siblings leave the group and become solitary, while the young males remain together for life in a group called a coalition. A coalition is usually made up of two to three littermates and is a very tightly bonded group. Singleton males are not common and usually do not survive long. This coalition will live and hunt together for life claiming a territory, which may encompass several female home ranges.

Around the age of two, when males reach Sexual maturity, they seek out an area far away from their parent, sometimes as far as 300 miles (482 kilometers). The size of male territories is usually five to 10 square miles (13 to 26 square kilometers) although it may extend up to 50 square miles (130 square kilometers). Coalitions will claim a territory in an environment that is likely to attract herds of gazelles, for instance, one near water.

Young females, however, usually occupy the same range as their mother, although all females are solitary except when they have a litter. Female home ranges can be from 322 to 370 square miles (833 to 958 square kilometers) and follow migratory gazelle herds. Several female ranges may overlap due to scarce resources during the dry season. Females may encounter one another with little or no aggression during this time.

繁殖与发展

性成熟发生在 18 至 23 个月。妊娠期约三个月，平均每窝产仔数为三至六只。虽然没有明确的繁殖季节，但大多数出生都发生在雨季。每年这个时候的出生恰逢瞪羚出生的季节，增加了猎豹的食物资源。

幼崽呈烟灰色，长毛，称为披风，沿着背部伸展。它们长约 12 英寸（30 厘米），出生时平均重 9 至 12 盎司（400 克）。野生和圈养的幼崽死亡率都很高。在人类照料下出生的所有幼崽中，平均有 30% 会在出生后一个月内死亡，而在坦桑尼亚的塞伦盖蒂国家公园，大约 90% 会在三个月大之前死亡。

六周时，幼崽足够强壮，可以跟随狩猎，当他们大约六个月大时，母亲会捕捉活的猎物，让他们练习杀戮。

Reproduction and Development    

Sexual maturity occurs at 18 to 23 months. The gestation period is about three months, and the average litter size is three to six cubs. While there is no definitive breeding season, a majority of births occur during the wet season. Births occurring during this time of year coincide with the gazelle birth season, increasing food resources for the cheetah.

Cubs are smoky-grey in color with long hair, called a mantle, running along their backs. They are about 12 inches (30 centimeters) long and weigh nine to 12 ounces (400 grams) on average at birth. Cub mortality is high in both the wild and captivity. On average 30 percent of all cubs born in human care die within one month of birth, and in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park, about 90 percent die before reaching three months of age.

At six weeks, the young are strong enough to follow the hunt and when they are about six months old the mother will capture live prey for them to practice killing.

Sleep Habits    

Primarily diurnal, unlike many other species of cats.

睡眠习惯

与许多其他种类的猫不同，主要是昼夜活动。
寿命

野生猎豹的平均寿命为8至10年。在人类护理中，平均寿命为 12 至 15 年。

Lifespan    

The average lifespan of wild cheetahs is 8 to 10 years. In human care, the average lifespan is 12 to 15 years.

Historically, cheetahs ranged widely throughout Africa and Asia, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Mediterranean, throughout the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East, from Israel, India and Pakistan north to the northern shores of the Caspian and Aral Seas, and west through Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan into central India. There were approximately 100,000 cheetahs in 1900, distributed throughout western Asia and Africa.

Over the past 50 years, cheetahs have become extinct in at least 13 countries. The Asiatic cheetah (A. j. venaticus) survives in Iran, but is critically endangered.

An estimated 7,500 to 10,000 cheetahs remain in the wild. The largest population, 2,500, is found in Namibia, with Southern Africa as the last remaining stronghold of roughly 4,500 adults.

Help this Species

• Support organizations like the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute that research better ways to protect and care for this animal and other endangered species. Consider donating your time, money or goods.

• Share the story of this animal with others. Simply raising awareness about this species can contribute to its overall protection.

The Cheetah Conservation Station is home to three male cheetahs: Justin (nicknamed “Gat”) was born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia. Hand-raised by keepers, Justin was named after 2012 Olympic medalist Justin Gatlin, who won the bronze medal in the men’s 100-meter sprint. Donnie and Copley, a coalition of two male cheetahs, came to the Smithsonian's National Zoo from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in December 2017.

Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute 3001 Connecticut Ave., NW Washington, DC 20008

史密森尼国家动物园和保护生物学研究所 3001 Connecticut Ave., NW Washington, DC 20008