[2] Several fossil remains of cheetah-like cats were excavated that date to the late Pliocene and Middle Pleistocene.

[3] These cats occurred in Africa, parts of Europe and Asia about 10,000 years ago.

Molecular phylogenetic analysis has shown that it is the sister group of the genus Puma, and it is now placed within the subfamily Felinae.

[1] In addition, the following fossil Acinonyx species were described: The "Linxia Cheetah" ("A. kurteni") was initially described by Christiansen and Mazák in 2009 on the basis of a skull from Pliocene strata in China, and touted as the most primitive member of the genus.

[13] In 2012, "A. kurteni" was invalidated as a species when the holotype was determined to be a forgery composed of Miocene-aged fragments.