Cheetah
Acinonyx jubatus
Fun Facts About Cheetahs
Cheetahs are the fastest land mammal! They can sprint more than 70-mph.
Unlike other cats, a cheetah's claws don't fully retract. This helps them run faster!
A cheetah's long tail works like a rudder and helps them change directions quickly.
Where Do Cheetahs Live?
Historically, cheetahs could be found throughout most of Africa and southern Asia. Today, their range is much smaller and populations are isolated in various grasslands and deserts in Africa. There is also a small population in Iran.
What Do Cheetahs Eat?
Cheetahs are carnivores! Their quick speeds allow them to hunt small gazelles and other antelopes, along with hares and birds. Compared to other African predators, cheetahs have a low hunting success rate. It is estimated that more than half of their hunting attempts end in failure.
What Do Cheetah Look Like?
Cheetahs are a long, slender cat with long legs, small ears, and a long tail. They spotted yellow fur helps camouflage them into the dry environment where they live, just like leopards! Male cheetahs are slightly larger than females weighing up to 150-lbs. As cubs, cheetahs have a small mane of hair on their necks that is thought to help keep them camouflaged in tall grasses.
A Cheetah's Speed
Cheetah's can reach speeds of more than 70-mph, but they can only maintain that speed for about 20 seconds. They can reach top speed in less than 4 seconds (or about 9 strides).
How Do Cheetah's Run So Fast?
Claws
Unlike other cats, cheetahs cannot fully retract their claws. This helps them grip the ground while running, just like soccer cleats!
Malar Stripes
Cheetahs are active during the daytime, so the dark stripes under their eyes help reduce glare from the sun! Baseball players also use this strategy.
Tail
As cheetahs chase prey across the African savanna, they use their tail like a rudder to help them make quick, sharp turns.
Ears
Cheetahs have small, rounded ears that reduce drag while running. Like a swimmer in a swimming cap, cheetahs want to move streamline through the air while running.
Spine
The spine of a cheetah is long and flexible allowing them to stretch their body long while sprinting. Their shoulder blades are also not attached to their collarbone, providing them further stretching abilities.
Legs
Compared to other cats, cheetahs have very long legs that spring their bodies forward while running. They have a stride length of more than 20-feet!
Cheetah Social Structure
Like many other cats, female cheetahs are solitary, meaning they prefer to live alone. When females are seen with other cheetahs, it is usually for mating or when she is raising her offspring! Male cheetahs will often live with their brothers in a small group known as a coalition.
Raising Cheetah Cubs
Cheetahs will give birth to as many as six cubs roughly 3-months after breeding, though the average number of cubs is closer to three. It can take more than a week for cubs to learn to walk and move around their environment. During that time, the female keeps them hidden in tall grasses or other protected spaces and will even move them around to avoid being detected by predators. Cubs will stay with their mom for more than a year while they learn to hunt and navigate the landscape! Once they are old enough, female cubs will go off on their own while males will usually go off with their brothers.
Do Cheetahs Have Predators?
Yes! The African savanna is full of powerful predators that would easily capture and prey upon a young, inexperienced cheetah. The survival rate for cheetah cubs is the lowest of any African cat. Lions, leopards, and hyenas are just a few of the predators who would happily feed on a cheetah cub.
Bottleneck Effect
A bottleneck effect occurs when the population size of a species is greatly reduced as a result of a naturally occurring event (drought, disease, or natural disaster) or a human-caused event (intense poaching, warfare, or habitat destruction). When the species' population size is reduced, the remaining individuals are often related and have no choice but to breed with each other. This inbreeding can cause many issues with the health of the offspring and, therefore, the health of the population as a whole. It is hypothesized that cheetahs have miraculously survived two bottleneck events. Today, there is very little genetic variation within the cheetah population compared to other species.
Are Cheetahs Endangered?
IUCN Rating: Vulnerable
One of the largest threats cheetahs and many other species are facing is habitat loss. Land that was once roamed by cheetahs has now become communities, roads, farms, and land used for grazing livestock. As livestock grazes in cheetah habitat, there are two major issues. Gazelles and other herbivores are driven from the area to regions with less competition making it harder for cheetahs to find food. The second issue is that, because there are fewer gazelles, cheetahs may prey on the livestock and then are hunted out of retaliation by the farmers. Cheetahs are also captured in snares, both on purpose and on accident, and are hunted by poachers for trophies like their pelts.
You can help protect cheetahs by making a donation, visiting your local AZA zoo or aquarium, and spreading the word about threats to cheetahs!
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