Cheetahs are very endangered and there are fewer then 18000 world wide. Tousands of years ago these beautiful animals were used for hunting purposes in a similar way to falcons. Like with falconry, a hood was used to cover the cheetah's eyes when it was riding on the horse drawn carts. Cheetah are easily recognisable because of distinctive tear drop marks along the sides of their face. There is an African Zulu Legend that says a Mother Cheetah went out hunting and when she returned her cubs had been eaten by lions and so she cried and cried staining her cheeks. These Big Cats can run at speeds of up to 75miles per hour or 120km per hour?they can reach top speed in three seconds flat. This acceleration is faster than most sports cars in production today. One thing a Cheetah can do unlike a car is a 90 degree turn at top speed in order to match it's preys agility, they do this with the aid of their long tail. Free State, South Africa. 13.07.2009.