Apperance

Cheetah cubs are born with all the spots they'll ever have, but those spots are very close together when they're tiny. This makes their fur a darker, ash-gray color. Cheetah cubs also have a long, silvery strip of fur called a mantle that runs down their back like a mohawk haircut. 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 the extant felids; the Puma lineage diverged from the rest 6.7 mya. Cheetahs' bodies are uniquely adapted to help them reach top speeds, from their long, slender limbs and hard foot pads to the flexible spine that gives them their long stride. Cheetahs are famous for their tawny coats covered in black spots, each arranged in a unique pattern to help the animals identify one another.