Cheetah

The cheetah is a large cat native to Africa and small parts of Iran, built for speed rather than strength, with a slender frame, long legs, a small head, non-retractable claws that grip the ground like cleats, and a flexible spine that lengthens its stride. It is widely recognized as the fastest land animal, capable of reaching speeds of around 100 kilometres per hour in short bursts while chasing prey such as gazelles and impalas, though it can sustain such speed for only a few hundred metres before overheating. Cheetahs hunt by day, often in the cooler morning and evening hours, and their population has declined significantly due to habitat loss and human conflict, leaving the species classified as vulnerable with fragmented range across sub-Saharan Africa.