The name of the cheetah turns out to be the Hindi word "chita" (derived from the Sanskrit "chitraka", meaning "spotted"). For a long time, people confused cheetahs with leopards. When a medieval writer used the word "leopard" in his work, he was usually referring to a cheetah. Cheetahs are thought to be a cross between a lion (they have a mane) and a leopard (they have spots). Cheetah cubs do have manes, which help them camouflage themselves in the grass. The Latin scientific name of the cheetah (Acinonyxjubatus) means "fixed claws with mane".