Facts about the Cheetah (Acinonyx Jubatus)
A couple of times I have heard people confuse the cheetah for a leopard. And rightly so for the eye seeing the cheetah for the first time. It has been recorded as the most primitive cat and one of the distinguishing marks are the long tear-drop shaped lines on each side of the nose from the corner of its eyes to its mouth. These helps keep the sun out of its eyes and aid in hunting. The coat is tan, or buff colored, with black spots measuring from ¾ to 1 ¼ inches across. The belly is white with no spots and, the tail has spots which merge to form four to six dark rings at the end.
The tail usually ends in a bushy white tuft. They measure about 4.3 to 4.9 ft, head and body.
Male cheetahs are slightly larger than females and have a slightly bigger head, but it is difficult to tell males and females apart by appearance alone. It is a vulnerable species. Out of all the big cats, it is the least able to adapt to new environments. They have always proved difficult to breed in captivity with very few successes. Once widely shot for its fur, the cheetah now suffers more from the loss of both habitat and prey.
Cheetahs lives up to 12 -15 years in wild and in captivity, 17 years have been recorded.
They mostly hunt fawns (young ones of antelopes) and gazelles are their top prey. Others include Rodents, hares and sometimes game birds e.g... Guinea fowl.
Reproduction
They mate throughout the year and reach sexual maturity at 20-24 months.
After a gestation period of 90-95 days, a litter of up 12 (personally witnessed, Masai mara game reserve, 2001) cubs are born. 8 are more common but in most of the cases it is a litter of 2-5. After five or six weeks, cubs follow their mothers and share her kill. Cheetah cubs wean at about three months old.
Cheetah's adaptations
The cheetah's flexible spine, oversized liver, enlarged heart, wide nostrils, increased lung capacity, and thin muscular body make this cat the swiftest hunter in Africa. Covering 7-8 meters in a stride, with only one foot touching the ground at a time, the cheetah can reach a speed of 110 km/h in seconds. At two points in the stride, no feet touch the ground. The fastest animal on land, has tall slim legs and with semi-retractable craws. This aids the cat in its high speed hunting splints. The spots help to camouflage in its surrounding.
A fully grown cheetah can reach speeds in excess of 60 mph.
Famous as the animal of the open area cheetahs are usually found in the grasslands, desert-like plains, savannahs, and like areas that have tall grass. That is why they usually are found in some places in Africa. Before, they were found in some parts of India and all over Africa, but now only maybe 20-30% of Africa.
They hunt mainly during the day and thus avoid other predators like lions and leopards. They stalk their prey, approaching to about 50 feet before dashing out from cover and sprinting at the targeted animals. https://naturaltracksafaris.com
