Interesting information about the cheetah: the fastest land animal
The fastest animal on land, the cheetah can run up to 96 kilometers in an hour (60 mph) during a brief part of its chase. It still occurs in most of Africa, but there are now very few left in South Asia (where it probably evolved) and the Middle East.
The cheetah is easily distinguished from other cats, not only by its distinctive markings, but also by its loose, lanky build, small head, high-set eyes, and small, rather flattened ears. Typical prey consists of gazelles, impalas, wildebeest calves, and other hoofed mammals up to 40 kg (88 lb) in weight. In some areas hares are also an important food. Prey is hunted by lying in wait for anywhere from seconds to several hours, until the prey is within 100 feet (30 meters), before pursuing it. About half of the chases are successful and an average chase is 170 meters (550 ft) and lasts 20 seconds, rarely exceeding a minute. The prey suffocates by biting the bottom of the throat. On average, an adult eats 2.8 kg (6.2 lb) of meat per day. Drinking is rarely more frequent than once every four days, and sometimes as infrequent as once every 10 days.
cheetah cub
Sexual maturity occurs at 20 – 23 months of age. Females and courting males probably already know each other because ranges overlap. Females at heart spray urine on bushes, tree trunks and rocks to attract males who, when they discover the scent, hastily follow the trail, calling with howls. The receptive female responds to the howls by approaching the male. Mating sometimes occurs immediately, copulation lasting less than a minute. They stay together for a day or two and mate several times. The males have a hierarchy and apparently only the dominant male usually mates, while his mates wait nearby.
There is no regular breeding season and pups are born in every month. Litter sizes range from 1 to 8, but the average is three. Newborn cubs weigh 250–300 grams (8–11 ounces) and are up to 30 cm (12 in) long from nose to tail root. Their eyes open at 2 – 11 days of age. The cubs remain hidden under bushes or in dense grass, but their mother leads them to a new hiding place every few days. At 5 or 6 weeks of age, the pups can follow and start from the prey their mother catches. The males do not help raise the pups. Weaning occurs around three months of age. Less than a third on average survive to adulthood.
Adult females are solitary, except when raising pups. They rarely associate with other adults, but when they do it is likely only for a few hours after a chance meeting with a sister or when found by territorial males. Males are more social than females and often live in groups, sometimes consisting of littermates.
In the 16th century, Arab, Abyssinian and Mughal emperors used to keep cheetahs to hunt antelope. More recently, cheetahs have been in demand for their fur, which is used for women’s coats. In the wild, cheetahs are widely protected, but as long as the fur trade in many European countries and Japan remains legal, widespread poaching will continue to occur. An estimated 5,000 cheetah skins have been traded annually in recent years.
A more significant threat to the survival of the cheetah is habitat loss, which deprives it of suitable prey, reduces its hunting success, causes more cubs to starve and fall prey to predators, increases the proportion of kills stolen by other large carnivores. , and causes conflicts with man through the increase in attacks on domestic livestock. Captive breeding, although successful, is not a suitable alternative to preserve the natural habitat. The total surviving cheetah population in Africa is probably about 25,000.
the cheetah’s niche
Where cheetahs are found, other large carnivores are also found, such as lions, leopards, hyenas, wild dogs, and jackals, and other carnivores, such as vultures. But if different species are to coexist in the same area, they must exploit the available resources in ways that minimize the likelihood of direct competition and open conflict. One way to achieve this is to develop a highly specialized anatomy for a particular method of hunting.
A slender build and a very flexible spine allow the cheetah to take surprisingly long and fast strides; and unlike other cats, the cheetah’s claws when retracted are not covered by a sheath but are left exposed to provide additional traction during rapid acceleration. However, with great running prowess comes limited stamina and this means that the cheetah can only hunt effectively in open country where there is sufficient natural cover to stalk.
A safe method of killing prey is also important. The small upper canine teeth have correspondingly small roots that limit the sides of the nostrils, allowing more air intake that enables the cheetah to maintain a smothering, unrelenting bite.
The cheetah usually hunts and eats later in the morning and earlier in the afternoon than other large carnivores, which usually sleep in the heat of the day; their less developed whiskers suggest less nocturnal activity than other cats. However, increased daytime activity puts the cheetah in competition with vultures, which fly in daytime thermals. Vultures will sometimes drive a cheetah away from its prey, and their descent also attracts other carnivores which may then appropriate the cheetah’s food. The problem is minimized by the cheetah’s stealth as a hunter and by its habit of dragging its prey into a hiding place before eating.