Cheetahs live in the south and east Africa and some parts of Iran. They are tall, long and thin, with small heads and big chests and characteristic spots on their bodies, which provide excellent camouflage when they wait in the long grass for their prey.

    They can run fast! For short bursts, usually, when hunting, they can reach 100 km/h (70 mph)! Even more amazing, they can speed up from 0 to 60 mph in only 3 seconds! When they catch their prey, they will trip it up and then kill it - and then may take up to half an hour to recover their breath before they eat!

    In the distant past, cheetahs have been successfully tamed and used for hunting. They have also hunted extensively themselves for their fur, and are now few enough (with only about 7.000 cheetahs still living in the wild) to be classified as "vulnerable" and on the verge of "endangered."

Why are cheetahs considered endangered animals?