Cheetah
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a large cat native to Africa and Southwest Asia (today restricted to central Iran). It is the fastest land animal, capable of running at 80 to 98 km/h (50 to 61 mph), as such has evolved specialized adaptations for speed, including a light build, long thin legs and a long tail. It typically reaches 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). Adults weigh between 21 and 72 kg (46 and 159 lb). Its head is small and rounded, with a short snout and black tear-like facial streaks. The coat is typically tawny to creamy white or pale buff and is mostly covered with evenly spaced, solid black spots. Four subspecies are recognised.
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Carnivora
Suborder:
Feliformia
Family:
Felidae
Subfamily:
Felinae
Genus:
Acinonyx
Species:
A. jubatus
Southeast African cheetah (A. j. jubatus) (Schreber, 1775)
Asiatic cheetah (A. j. venaticus) (Griffith, 1821)
Northeast African cheetah (A. j. soemmeringii) (Fitzinger, 1855)
Northwest African cheetah (A. j. hecki) (Hilzheimer, 1913)
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 instead establish much smaller territories in areas with plentiful prey and access to females. The cheetah is active 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 within 60–100 m (200–330 ft) before charging towards it, trips it during the chase and bites its throat to suffocate it to death. It breeds 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.
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 7,100 individuals in the wild; it is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. In September 2022, they were reintroduced to India after being extinct in the country for 70 years. In the past, cheetahs were tamed and trained for hunting ungulates. They have been widely depicted in art, literature, advertising, and animation.
TYPE: Mammals
DIET: Carnivore
AVERAGE LIFE SPAN IN THE WILD: Up to 14 years
AVERAGE LIFE SPAN IN CAPTIVITY: Up to 20 years
SIZE: Body: 3.7 to 4.6 feet; tail: two to 2.7 feet
WEIGHT: 77 to 143 pounds
Cheetahs eat small- to medium-size animals, such as hares, impalas, wildebeest calves, and gazelles.
the cache itself, watch for muggles such as passers, cars and dog walkers.