AUTHENTIC WONDER
Cheetah
Facts:
Swahili Name: Duma
Scientific Name: Acinonyx jubatus
Size: 30 inches at the shoulder
Weight: 110 to 140 pounds
Lifespan: 10 to 20 years
Habitat: Open plains
Diet: Smaller antelopes
Gestation: 90 to 95 days
Predators: Eagles, humans, hyenas, lions
The
lion is said to be majestic, the leopard ferocious and shrewd. But
elegant and graceful best describes the cheetah. The cheetah is smaller
than the other two cats, but by far the fastest at speeds of 70 miles
per hour it can run faster than all other animals.
Now
restricted to sub-Saharan Africa, wild cheetahs once were found in most
of Africa, the plains of southern Asia, the Middle East and India.
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Physical Characteristics
The
cheetah is built for speed. It has long, slim, muscular legs, a small,
rounded head set on a long neck, a flexible spine, a deep chest,
nonretractable claws, special pads on its feet for traction and a long,
tail for balance. Although fast, the cheetah cannot run at full speed
for long distances (100 yards is about the limit) because it may
overheat.
Cheetahs have
distinctive black "tear stripes" that connect from the inside corner of
each eye to the mouth that may serve as an antiglare device for daytime
hunting.
Habitat
Cheetahs are found in open and partially open savannas.
Behavior
Cheetah
mothers spend a long time teaching their young how to hunt small live
antelopes are brought back to the cubs and released so they can chase
and catch them. Unlike most other cats, the cheetah usually hunts during
daylight, preferring early morning or early evening, but is also active
on moonlit nights.
Cheetahs
do not roar like lions, but they purr, hiss, whine and growl. They also
make a variety of contact calls, the most common is a birdlike chirping
sound.
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Diet
Once
a cheetah has made a kill, it eats quickly and keeps an eye out for
scavengers lions, leopards, hyenas, vultures and jackals will
occasionally take away their kills. Although cheetahs usually prey on
the smaller antelopes such as Thomson's gazelles and impalas, they can
catch wildebeests and zebras if hunting together. They also hunt hares
and other small mammals and birds.
Although
known as an animal of the open plains that relies on speed to catch its
prey, research has shown that the cheetah depends on cover to stalk
prey. The cheetah gets as close to the prey as possible, then in a burst
of speed tries to outrun its quarry. Once the cheetah closes in, it
knocks the prey to the ground with its paw and suffocates the animal
with a bite to the neck.
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Caring for the Young
With
a life span of 10 to 12 years, the cheetah is basically a solitary
animal. At times a male will accompany a female for a short while after
mating, but most often the female is alone or with her cubs. Two to four
cubs are born in a secluded place. Their eyes do not open for a week or
two, and they are helpless at first. When the mother is hunting, she
leaves them hidden, but by 6 weeks of age they are able to follow her.
They are suckled for 2 to 3 months but begin to eat meat as early as 3
weeks.
By 4 months the
cheetah cub is a tawny yellow and almost completely spotted; the tail
has bands of black and by adulthood a white tip. The grayish mantle
disappears more slowly; the last traces are still visible when the cubs
are adult-sized at 15 months.
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| 'Just try me by getting close to my sweet cubs'. |
Predators
A
shy creature that roams widely, the cheetah is not seen as easily as
some other cats. Never numerous, cheetahs have become extinct in many
areas, principally due to shrinking habitat, loss of species to prey
upon, disease and a high rate of cub mortality. In some areas 50 to 75
percent of all cheetah cubs die before 3 months.
Source: Darimo Dream Africa
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