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Where do cheetahs live?
The geographic distribution of Acinonyx jubatus
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Cheetah's Distribution
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Formerly the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) was far more widespread. In historic times cheetahs lived as far east as extreme eastern India and as far north as southern Kazakhstan. Moreover, 2,000,000-year-old fossils are known from China.
But today the cheetah is almost entirely limited to sub-Saharan Africa. For the most part, these animals are now found only either in eastern Africa, around the border between southern Kenya and northern Tanzania, or in southern Africa (primarily northern Namibia, Botswana, and western Zambia). Outside Africa, there is only a small, critically endangered population in northeastern Iran.
Even the African populations are threatened and declining due to loss of habitat, decline in prey, poaching, and the cheetah's being shot as a livestock predator. The future of this beautiful animal looks bleak indeed.
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