Cheetahs are incredibly graceful creatures that are the fastest of all land animals, reaching speeds of up to 75 MPH, albeit in short bursts. Thanks in part to large nostrils, hearts and lungs, they can accelerate from 0 to 68 MPH in only three seconds!

Cheetahs are native to the African sub-continent, in places like Namibia, Botswana and Tanzania; it is believed that there are about 12,000 cheetahs living there. There are also about 50 cheetahs known to be living in Iran.

Male cheetahs will group together for life in what are called "coalitions," often with their brothers from the same litter. Females hunt alone and range very far -- as much as 580 square miles. In the wild, the females give birth to an average of about four cubs, but breeding in captivity has proven to be very difficult. On the other hand, captivity has proven to be a good thing for their life cycle: the average cheetah lives up to 12 years in the wild, but often longer in captivity.

Cheetahs have a lot of different vocalizations (stuttering, growling, yipping), including a purr they make when they inhale -- but unlike many other big cats, they do not roar.

Perhaps the most interesting of the vocalizations is the one by the male that actually triggers the female's ovulation.

Until recently, it was not well understood why the cheetah's reproductive cycle was so irregula. New research has found that a specific bark of a male cheetah triggers the female reproductive system to release eggs. According to a report published in National Geographic News, male cheetahs turn females on, literally. This is being seen as a primary reason why the cat finds it difficult to breed in captivity. However, the researchers say that the new study may boost efforts to breed the rare cats. Biacousitcs experts at the San Diego Wild Aminal Park discovered that male stutter-bark calls triggered an increase in the reproductive hormones estrogen and progesterone in the females’ feces. “We never expected to see such a tight link between the vocalization and the hormone levels,” said Matt Anderson, the research team leader.