The Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a large cat that occurs mainly in north, southern and eastern Africa. Cheetahs are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN, with only about 7,000 estimated to be left in the wild. Cheetahs are unusual amongst wild cats – they cannot retract their claws, and are active during the day. Cheetahs are the world’s fastest land mammal, and can accelerate from standing up to 112 km/hour (70 mph), although they cannot maintain such speeds for long. The King Cheetah is a rare mutation, with much larger blotchy spots and three wide dark stripes from the neck to the tail. The King Cheetah was thought to be a separate species for a while, but in May 1981 two normally-patterned females in the De Wildt Cheetah Research Centre gave birth to litters that each contained one King Cheetah. Since then De Wildt has had other King Cheetahs born there, including this beautiful male called Heathcliff, who was lying in the shade in his enclosure, purring.