Q 01/05

What is the highest reliably reported running speed for a cheetah?

A) 84 km/h (52 mph)

B) 104 km/h (65 mph)

C) 134 km/h (83 mph)

D) 114 km/h (71 mph)

Answer · why

B) 104 km/h (65 mph)

The popular figure of 114 km/h was discredited because of a faulty measurement method.

Q 02/05

How quickly can a cheetah accelerate from 0 to 97 km/h (60 mph)?

A) In about 6 seconds

B) In about 10 seconds

C) In less than 3 seconds

D) In about 15 seconds

Answer · why

C) In less than 3 seconds

Polo horses, by comparison, take 3.6 seconds just to reach 36 km/h.

Q 03/05

What is the cheetah's scientific name?

A) Panthera pardus

B) Puma concolor

C) Felis lanea

D) Acinonyx jubatus

Answer · why

D) Acinonyx jubatus

It is the only living member of its genus; jubatus is Latin for 'crested' or 'having a mane'.

Q 04/05

The genus name Acinonyx roughly translates as what?

A) Swift foot

B) Immobile nails

C) Spotted hunter

D) Silent runner

Answer · why

B) Immobile nails

It refers to the cheetah's limited ability to retract its claws.

Q 05/05

The word 'cheetah' comes via Hindi and Urdu from a Sanskrit word meaning what?

A) Lightning-fast

B) Variegated or painted

C) Yellow-coated cat

D) The swift one

Answer · why

B) Variegated or painted

In the past it was often called the 'hunting leopard' because it could be tamed for coursing.