Animal World The cheetah is a large felid of the subfamily Felinae that occurs mainly in eastern and southern Africa and a few parts of Iran . The only extant member of the genus Acinonyx , the cheetah was first described by Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber in 1775. The cheetah is characterised by a slender body, deep chest, spotted coat , a small rounded head, black tear-like streaks on the face, long thin legs and a long spotted tail. Its lightly built, slender form is in sharp contrast with the robust build of the big cats , making it more similar to the cougar . The cheetah reaches nearly 70 to 90 cm (28 to 35 in) at the shoulder, and weighs 21–72 kg (46–159 lb). Though taller than the leopard , it is notably smaller than the lion . Basically yellowish tan or rufous to greyish white, the coat is uniformly covered with nearly 2,000 solid ...