Background Its sleek lines and graceful design hearken back to Old World craftsmanship and careful attention to detail. With its solid black spots set against yellow or tan fur and lightening speed the cheetah is unique among the big cats. Cheetahs, one of the big cats, belong to the family Felidae within the order Carnivora, meat-eating mammals. Cats have changed little since their cat-like ancestors first appeared 30 million years ago. Like all mammals, including humans, cats have hair and nurse their live born offspring.
All cats are hunters and have the uncanny ability to move silently and gracefully.
Other physical attributes that make cats efficient hunters include large forward-facing eyes, excellent hearing, sharp teeth, strong limbs, and sharp claws for catching prey. Most cats also have long tails and spotted or stripped fur that help them hide from their prey. The vast majority of the big cats are solitary hunters that usually hunt at dawn or dusk and attack their prey by ambush using grasping limbs, and sharp claws and teeth to kill. Although they are in the cat family cheetahs evolved earlier than other big cats. Cheetahs originated about 4 million years ago.