Acinonyx jubatus
Duma (Swahili), Nnamundagi (Luganda)

Habitat
Steppes, savannahs

Conservation status
Vulnerable. The species is at risk from habitat loss due to agriculture, increasing development and road transport, poaching and introduced diseases such as bovine tuberculosis, as well as low genetic diversity.

Biology
These high-speed hunters are the world’s fastest land animal. They hunt by day, preying mainly on antelopes and gazelles. However, as sprinting specialists, cheetahs are not able to defend their prey and thus often lose it to other predators.