Cheetahs. Female cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and her cub on a grassy plain. Female cheetahs typically raise families of around 3 to 5 cubs. The cubs are born with their characteristic spots and a downy underlying fur on their necks, called a mantle. Cheetahs are gregarious carnivores, with the father often helping to raise the cubs. The cubs leave their mother between 13 and 20 months after birth. Cheetahs are the fastest land animals on Earth. They can reach a top speed of over 110 kilometres per hour, but this is only achieved in short bursts of about 460 metres. Photographed in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.