The cheetah, sometimes mistaken for a leopard, is a more lightly built animal, distinguished easily by dark "tear marks." Female cheetahs are always solitary but males sometimes form groups of two or three. Cheetahs are specialised predators relying on a concealed approach to prey, followed by a swiftchase, reaching up to 110 kmph.

Cheetahs rely primarily on eyesight and speed and do not hunt at night. Unlike the lion, they do not hunt jointly. The typical habitat is open plains like the Serengeti.