The cheetah is a species of the Cat family
and classified as big cats in the carnivorous order
but much smaller in size and stature than the four real big cats.
animals (tiger, lion, jaguar and leopard).
Some people often confuse this species with the jaguar (in the Americas)
or the leopard (the leopard is found in Vietnam, while the cheetah lives in Africa.)
while the cheetah lives in Africa.)
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran.
It is the fastest land animal,
estimated to be capable of running at 80 to 120 km/h (50 to 75 mph).
Habitat
The cheetah occurs in a variety of habitats such as savannahs in the Serengeti,
arid mountain ranges in the Sahara and hilly desert terrain in Iran.
The cheetah is threatened by several factors such as habitat loss, conflict with humans,
poaching and high susceptibility to diseases.
Historically ranging throughout most of Sub-Saharan Africa
and extending eastward into the Middle East and to central India,
the cheetah is now distributed mainly in small, fragmented populations in central Iran
and southern, eastern and northwestern Africa.
In 2016, the global cheetah population was estimated at around 7,100 individuals in the wild;
it is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
In the past, cheetahs were tamed and trained for hunting ungulates.
They have been widely depicted in art, literature, advertising, and animation.
Characteristics
The cheetah is a lightly built, spotted cat characterised by a small rounded head,
a short snout, black tear-like facial streaks, a deep chest, long thin legs and a long tail.
Its slender, canine-like form is highly adapted for speed,
and contrasts sharply with the robust build of the genus Panthera.
Cheetahs typically reach 67–94 cm (26–37 in) at the shoulder
and the head-and-body length is between 1.1 and 1.5 m (3 ft 7 in and 4 ft 11 in).
The weight can vary with age, health, location, sex and subspecies;
adults typically range between 21 and 72 kg (46 and 159 lb).
Cubs born in the wild weigh 150–300 g (5.3–10.6 oz) at birth,
while those born in captivity tend to be larger and weigh around 500 g (18 oz).
Cheetahs are sexually dimorphic, with males larger and heavier than females.
The coat is typically tawny to creamy white or pale buff (darker in the mid-back portion).
The chin, throat and underparts of the legs and the belly are white and devoid of markings.
The rest of the body is covered with around 2,000 evenly spaced,
oval or round solid black spots, each measuring roughly 3–5 cm (1.2–2.0 in).
Each cheetah has a distinct pattern of spots which can be used to identify unique individuals.
Besides the clearly visible spots,
there are other faint, irregular black marks on the coat.
Newly born cubs are covered in fur with an unclear pattern of spots
that gives them a dark appearance—pale white above and nearly black on the underside.
The hair is mostly short and often coarse, but the chest and the belly are covered in soft fur.
There is a short, rough mane, covering at least 8 cm (3.1 in) along the neck and the shoulders
this feature is more prominent in males.
The mane starts out as a cape of long, loose blue to grey hair in juveniles.
The head is small and more rounded compared to the big cats.
Saharan cheetahs have canine-like slim faces.
The ears are small, short and rounded;
they are tawny at the base and on the edges and marked with black patches on the back.
The eyes are set high and have round pupils.
The whiskers are shorter and fewer than those of other felids.
The pronounced tear streaks (or malar stripes), unique to the cheetah,
originate from the corners of the eyes and run down the nose to the mouth.
The role of these streaks is not well understood
they may protect the eyes from the sun's glare
a helpful feature as the cheetah hunts mainly during the day,
or they could be used to define facial expressions.
The exceptionally long and muscular tail, with a bushy white tuft at the end,
measures 60–80 cm (24–31 in).
While the first two-thirds of the tail are covered in spots,
the final third is marked with four to six dark rings or stripes.
The king cheetah is a variety of cheetah with a rare mutation
for cream-coloured fur marked with large,
blotchy spots and three dark, wide stripes extending from the neck to the tail.
The cheetah is superficially similar to the leopard,
but the leopard has rosettes instead of spots and lacks tear streaks.
Moreover, the cheetah is slightly taller than the leopard.
The cheetah has often been likened to the greyhound,
as both have similar morphology
and the ability to reach tremendous speeds in a shorter time than other mammals,
but the cheetah can attain higher maximum speeds.
Ecology and behaviour
Cheetahs are active mainly during the day,
whereas other carnivores such as leopards and lions are active mainly at night;
These larger carnivores can kill cheetahs and steal their kills;
hence, the diurnal tendency of cheetahs
helps them avoid larger predators in areas where they are sympatric,
such as the Okavango Delta.
In areas where the cheetah is the major predator
such as farmlands in Botswana and Namibia
activity tends to increase at night.
This may also happen in highly arid regions such as the Sahara,
where daytime temperatures can reach 43 °C (109 °F).
The lunar cycle can also influence the cheetah's routine
activity might increase on moonlit nights as prey can be sighted easily,
though this comes with the danger of encountering larger predators.
Hunting is the major activity throughout the day, with peaks during dawn and dusk.
Groups rest in grassy clearings after dusk.
Cheetahs often inspect their vicinity at observation points
such as elevations to check for prey or larger carnivores;
even while resting, they take turns at keeping a lookout.
Social organisation
Cheetahs have a flexible and complex social structure
and tend to be more gregarious than several other cats (except the lion).
Individuals typically avoid one another but are generally amicable;
males may fight over territories or access to females in oestrus,
and on rare occasions such fights can result in severe injury and death.
Females are not social and have minimal interaction with other individuals,
barring the interaction with males when they enter their territories
or during the mating season.
Some females, generally mother and offspring or siblings,
may rest beside one another during the day.
Females tend to lead a solitary life or live with offspring in undefended home ranges;
young females often stay close to their mothers for life
but young males leave their mother's range to live elsewhere.
Some males are territorial, and group together for life forming coalitions
that collectively defend a territory which ensures maximum access to females.
In most cases,
a coalition will consist of brothers born in the same litter who stayed together after weaning,
but biologically unrelated males are often allowed into the group.
The cheetah lives in three main social groups, females and their cubs,
male "coalitions" and solitary males.
While females lead a nomadic life searching for prey in large home ranges,
males are more sedentary and may instead establish much smaller territories
in areas with plentiful prey and access to females.
Reproduction and life cycle
Cheetahs are induced ovulators and can breed throughout the year.
After a gestation of nearly three months, a litter of typically three or four cubs is born.
Cheetah cubs are highly vulnerable to predation by other large carnivores
such as hyenas and lions.
They are weaned at around four months and are independent by around 20 months of age.
Females can have their first litter at two to three years of age.
A female can conceive again after 17 to 20 months from giving birth,
or even sooner if a whole litter is lost.
Males can breed at less than two years of age in captivity,
but this may be delayed in the wild until the male acquires a territory.
A 2007 study
showed that females who gave birth to more litters early in their life often died younger,
indicating a trade-off between longevity and yearly reproductive success.
FACTS ABOUT CHEETAH.
King of speed
Cheetah is fastest running animal on the planet.
It can run faster than today’s Ferrari.
The speed of a hunting cheetah averages 64 km/h (40 mph) during a sprint.
Cheetah can attain more than 100 km per hour speed within just 3 seconds.
At the utmost, It can attain the speed of 120 km per hour.
It is the fastest animal on the land.
At the height of an intense chase,
a cheetah’s body temperature will rise up to 41 degree celcius or 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once the hunt is over, the prey is taken near a bush or under a tree;
the cheetah, highly exhausted after the chase,
rests beside the kill and pants heavily for five to 55 minutes.
Meanwhile, cheetahs nearby, who did not take part in the hunt, might feed on the kill immediately.
Perfect Camouflage
Its fur is of tan color that allows it to blend easily in tall grasses of the grassland.
Its entire body is covered with black spots.
The pattern of spots in every cheetah is different,
making each one of them uniquely identifiable.
Most Of The Time, They Do Rest
Even though they’re known for their incredible sprinting abilities,
cheetahs actually spend most of their time doing rest about 90 percent of their time.
A study in 2014, found that cheetahs only spend about 12 percent of their day actually moving.
The rest of the time is spent hanging around,
conserving energy for those big bursts of speed.
Cheetahs Don’t Roar
The roar of any big cat is enough to scare anyone, however, cheetahs don’t roar!
It may come as a surprise to many but these animals let out chirping noise if they feel threatened
and they make a purring sound when they are happy.
One of the most successful hunters
The cheetah is active mainly during the day, with peaks during dawn and dusk.
It feeds on small- to medium-sized prey,
mostly weighing under 40 kg (88 lb),
and prefers medium-sized ungulates such as impala,
springbok and Thomson's gazelles.
The cheetah typically stalks its prey to within 60–70 m (200–230 ft),
charges towards it, trips it during the chase and bites its throat to suffocate it to death.
Cheetahs have an average hunting success rate of 25–40%,
higher for smaller and more vulnerable prey.
Cheetahs might lose 10−15% of their kills to large carnivores such as leopards,
hyenas and lions (and grey wolves in Iran).
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