The cheetah is the only surviving species of the genus Acinonyx. Originally, five subspecies of cheetahs were recognized, but recent genetic studies suggest that only four subspecies can be acknowledged:

Southeast African cheetah (A. j. jubatus): This is the nominate subspecies, with the largest population found in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia.

Asiatic cheetah (A. j. venaticus) :Confined to central Iran, this subspecies represents the only surviving cheetah population in Asia.

Northeast African cheetah (A. j. soemmeringii): Found in the northern Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, and South Sudan.

Northwest African cheetah (A. j. hecki) : Occurs in Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, and is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List​​.

The cheetah's closest relatives are the cougar (Puma concolor) and the jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi). Together, these three species form the Puma lineage, one of the eight lineages of extant felids, diverging from other lineages around 6.7 million years ago​​. Up to 11,700 years ago, during the end of the last ice age, when many mammals vanished from the Northern Hemisphere, cheetahs were widespread over North America, Europe, and Asia. Cheetahs disappeared from all of North America, Europe, and much of Asia. Around this period, there appears to have been a significant decline in cheetah populations—possibly the first and worst of several demographic bottlenecks. Cheetahs living today still carry genetic traces of this historic event. All of the cheetahs that exist now appear to be extremely inbred which is reflected with increased susceptibility to infectious diseases (such as feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP), increased infant mortality, and high levels of abnormal spermatozoa.

The oldest cheetah fossils, found in eastern and southern Africa, date to 3.5–3 million years ago. The modern cheetah appeared in Africa about 1.9 million years ago. Their fossil record shows that they were larger but less cursorial (adapted for running) than today's cheetahs. Cheetah-like cats existed as late as 10,000 years ago in the Old World​​.

The cheetah is a large, sleek feline with a thin, long-legged body and a light skeletal frame. Their head is small, with high-set eyes, a black "tear mark" that extends from the inside of each eye to the mouth, and big nostrils that facilitate a greater intake of oxygen. The tear marks may aid in hunting by minimizing the sun's glare. Their robust arteries and adrenal glands, together with their sizable lungs and hearts, form an intricate circulatory system that functions in unison to effectively transport oxygen throughout their blood. Cheetahs have a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots.

Adults can reach a shoulder height of 67–94 cm with a body length of 112 to 142 cm with another 66 to 84 cm tail length. The weight varies between 21 and 72 kg.

Cheetahs are famous for being the fastest land animals, capable of running at speeds of 90 to 112 km/h, with adaptations such as a light build, long thin legs, and a long tail for speed​​. In under 2.5 seconds, a cheetah can speed from zero to forty-five miles per hour (zero to seventy-two kilometers per hour). No other land mammal surpasses their short sprints.

Only 9% of the cheetah's former global range and 13% of its historical African range remain today. The estimated global population is 7100 in wild, of them, about 2,300 (or 32%) reside in eastern Africa and 4,300 (or 61%) in southern Africa. North, Western, and Central Africa are home to the 420 cheetahs that make up the remaining 7%. 33% of cheetah population in Africa reside within Protected Areas.

Population of Asiatic cheetah in Iran is precariously low (believed to be less than 20 individuals).

The strongholds of the species are in Southern and Eastern Africa, though there has been considerable range reduction in these areas as well. Much is still unknown about the current distribution in a number of nations (e.g. Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, Angola, Mozambique and Zambia). It is known that cheetahs have disappeared from substantial portions of Tanzania, Malawi, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Uganda. They are widely distributed in various regions of Southern Africa (such as Botswana and Namibia) outside of protected areas on commercial ranches.

• The Iranian population is believed to be distributed in Khorassan, Semnan, Tehran, Isfahan, Yazd, Kerman provinces.
• In 2022 and 2023, twenty African cheetahs (A. j. jubatus) from Namibia and South Africa have been introduced in Kuno National Park, central India as world’s first intercontinental wildlife translocation. The current population of cheetah in Kuno is 27 individuals (13 adults and 14 cubs).

Cheetahs thrive in a variety of habitats, including grasslands, savannas, shrublands, and even in mountainous areas and valleys. Notably adaptive, cheetahs can also be found in temperate to hot deserts. They prefer environments with lush vegetation for camouflage, such as tall grass or bushes.

Sexual maturity at 18-23 months. Breed throughout the year.

Average gestation period: 90-98 days

Average litter size: 3 to 4

Average lifespan: 8 to 12 years in wild, 12 to 20 years in captivity

Cheetah’s social system with solitary females and social males is unique among felids. Cheetah females are solitary and have vast home ranges, cheetah males are social and live in coalitions, holding smaller territories. While females allow other cheetahs in their home range, which frequently overlaps with other cheetahs' home ranges, males scent-mark their territory and protect it from invaders. Because they are very promiscuous, females have the ability to roam across multiple male territories each year and may give birth to a litter of cubs from different fathers.

A cheetah cannot roar like other big cats, however, its vocalizations include purring, chirping, growling and hissing.

Being diurnal, cheetahs hunt throughout the day, mostly during early mornings and late afternoons. Medium-sized antelopes (15–30 kg) are the main prey for adult cheetahs, however they sometimes consume small game such as hares and birds. Because of their small canines, they kill prey by suffocation. A cheetah can eat 14 kg of meat at one sitting. About 50% of cheetah’s kills in Africa get stolen by other predators and vultures (kleptoparasitism).

African cheetahs are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List in 2015 due to a significant decline in their populations. This decline is attributed to habitat loss and conflicts with humans. Populations are largely untenable outside protected areas.

Cheetahs face several conservation threats that contribute to their declining populations in the wild. Some of the key threats include:

• Loss of habitat and isolation of existing habitat patches
• Prey depletion
• Conflict with humans
• Diseases
• Interspecific competition with other large predators
• Demand of body parts for illegal wildlife trade