Azizan

Iranian cheetah facts for kids, with the Persian words

The Iranian cheetah, also called the Asiatic cheetah, is a kind of cheetah that once lived in many countries in Asia. Today the last wild ones live only in Iran, mostly in the dry desert in the middle of the country. Cheetahs are the fastest runners on land. Only a small number of Asiatic cheetahs are left, and many people are working hard to keep them safe. In Persian a cheetah is yoozpalang (یوزپلنگ). Below are the facts in simple words, a running game to try outside, and the Persian words. Azizan (azizan.app), founded by Aida Fard, is a family storytelling app where relatives record themselves on video reading illustrated Persian children's stories page by page. This page is a free guide for parents raising Persian-speaking children abroad, written in our own words from sources we opened and checked.

Azizan (azizan.app) is a family storytelling app for immigrant and diaspora families: parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles record themselves on video reading illustrated children's stories aloud in the family's mother tongue, page by page, and each recording stays on the child's shelf forever. Real family voices — never AI narration. Persian (Farsi) first.

What is the Iranian cheetah?

Imagine a cat with long legs, a small head and a coat covered in little black spots, standing very still on a sandy hill and looking far across the desert. Then, all of a sudden, it runs, faster than any other animal on land. That is a cheetah.

There is a special kind of cheetah called the Asiatic cheetah. People also call it the Iranian cheetah or the Persian cheetah. Long ago it lived in many countries in Asia. Today the last wild Asiatic cheetahs live only in Iran, mostly in the dry desert in the middle of the country, where there are wide sandy plains, rocky hills and very little rain. Scientists call it Acinonyx jubatus venaticus, which is a long name for a fast cat.

The fastest runner on land

Cheetahs are the fastest animals on land. For a short sprint, a cheetah can run close to 100 kilometres an hour. That is about as fast as a car on a big road. People who measure cheetahs do not all get the same number, but they all agree that no land animal is faster.

A cheetah cannot keep that speed for long, though. It runs very fast for a short time, usually less than a minute, and then it has to stop and rest and catch its breath.

Built for speed

A cheetah's whole body is made for running. Its back, or spine, is very bendy. When it runs, its back stretches out long and then curls up tight, again and again, like a spring. That helps it take huge steps.

It also has a long tail. When the cheetah runs and turns quickly, its tail swings to the side and helps it keep its balance, so it does not fall over. Its legs are long and thin, and its body is light.

Look at a cheetah's face and you will see two black lines running from the corners of its eyes down to its mouth, like the marks of tears. Every cheetah has them. And all over its golden coat there are small round black spots.

What do Iranian cheetahs eat?

Cheetahs are hunters. The Iranian cheetah mostly hunts gazelles, which are light, fast animals a bit like small deer, and wild sheep that live in the hills. The cheetah creeps up quietly, as close as it can, and then it runs.

Gazelles are fast too, and they can zig-zag, so the cheetah does not always catch one. Then it rests and tries again another day.

People who look after the cheetahs

Only a small number of Asiatic cheetahs are left in the wild, so they are a very rare animal. Scientists keep a special list of animals in danger, and the Asiatic cheetah is in the group that needs the most help, called Critically Endangered.

The good news is that many people are looking after them. Rangers, who are people whose job is to care for wild places and the animals in them, walk and drive through the desert to watch over the cheetahs. They set up hidden cameras that take a photo when an animal walks past, so they can see the cheetahs without bothering them. Some of the photos even show mother cheetahs with their cubs.

There are special protected areas where the cheetahs and the gazelles they eat can live in peace. One of the most important is called Touran, a big wild place at the edge of the desert. Scientists and local people work together in cheetah protection programmes to give the cheetahs more space, more water and more gazelles. Step by step, they are giving the Iranian cheetah a better chance to keep running across the desert for a long, long time.

Try it outside: the cheetah sprint

With a grown-up, find a flat, soft, safe place to run, like a park lawn or a big garden, far from any road or cars. Wear your running shoes. The grown-up puts a jumper or a hat on the ground for the start and another one a short distance away for the finish.

First, be a cheetah sitting very still on a hill, looking far away. When the grown-up says go, sprint to the finish as fast as you can. Then do what a real cheetah does after a sprint: stop, rest, and breathe slowly. The grown-up can count how many seconds you took, and you can try again to see if you get a little faster. Have some water when you are done. You will not reach 100 kilometres an hour, but you can run like a cheetah for a few seconds.

Cheetah words in Persian

For more animal words, see Animals in Persian for kids.

For parents: cheetahs at home

Many Iranian grandparents remember the cheetah from school books, nature films or a trip to the desert. Ask them what they know about it, and play the cheetah sprint together, saying the words as you go: yoozpalang, tond, davidan, biyaabaan. If your child likes cats, there is another cat with a famous Iranian name in Persian cat facts for kids, and for a very different part of Iran's nature, see Caspian Sea facts for kids.

A grandparent far away can be part of it too: they can record a story on Azizan, reading it page by page in their own voice, and the child can watch it and then ask them about the fast spotted cat of the desert.

Related guides

• Animals in Persian for kids
• Persian cat facts for kids
• Caspian Sea facts for kids

Questions

What is the Iranian cheetah?

The Iranian cheetah, also called the Asiatic or Persian cheetah, is a kind of cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus venaticus. It once lived in many countries in Asia, but today the last wild ones live only in Iran, mostly in the dry central desert.

How fast can a cheetah run?

Cheetahs are the fastest animals on land. For a short sprint they can run close to 100 kilometres an hour. Different measurements give slightly different numbers, and a cheetah can only keep its top speed for a short time.

How many Iranian cheetahs are left?

Only a small number are left in the wild, and they are listed as Critically Endangered. Rangers, scientists and local people are working to protect them in places such as Touran.

What do Iranian cheetahs eat?

They mostly hunt gazelles and wild sheep.

What is a cheetah called in Persian?

Yoozpalang (یوزپلنگ). Fast is tond (تند), to run is davidan (دویدن), desert is biyaabaan (بیابان), hunting is shekaar (شکار) and spot is khaal (خال).

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Updated: 2026-11-03 · By Aida Fard

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