Byron Meshack

Cheetah , ( Acinonyx jubatus ), one of the world’s most-recognizable cats, known especially for its speed. Cheetahs’ sprints have been measured at a maximum of 114 km (71 miles) per hour, and they routinely reach velocities of 80–100 km per hour while pursuing prey. Nearly all the cheetahs remaining in the wild live in Africa. Cheetahs are covered almost entirely with small black spots on a background of pale yellow and have a white underbelly. Their faces are distinguished by prominent black lines that curve from the inner corner of each eye to the outer corners of the mouth, like a well-worn trail of inky tears. Cheetahs have a long, slender body measuring 1.2 metres (4 feet), with a long tail (65–85 cm [2–3 feet]) that generally ends in a white tuft. They are about 75 cm tall at the shoulder. Weight ranges from 34 to 54 kg (75 to 119 pounds), males being slightly larger than females. HABITAT AND  CONSERVATION STATUS x Cheetahs are found across Africa, primarily in northern ...

Leopard , ( Panthera pardus ), formerly  pard  or  pardus , also called  panther , large  cat  closely related to the  lion ,  tiger , and  jaguar . The name  leopard  was originally given to the cat now called  cheetah —the so-called hunting leopard—which was once thought to be a cross between the lion and the pard. The term  pard  was eventually replaced by the name  leopard . Where do leopards live? These big cats tend to favor rocky landscapes with dense bush and riverine forests, but they have also shown to be highly adaptable to many places in both warm and cold climates. They occur in a wide range of habitats, from deserts and semi-desert regions of southern Africa to arid regions of North Africa to savanna grasslands of East and southern Africa to mountainous environments on Mt. Kenya to the rainforests of West and Central Africa and even in urban and suburban parts of sub-Saharan Africa. The l...