Cheetah: Characteristics, Habitat And Behavior

The cheetah is a fascinating animal that certainly does not go unnoticed. Equipped with sublime elegance and surprising physical characteristics, he is an infallible and very fast hunter, who can even reach 100 km per hour. In this article we will reveal all the secrets of this formidable feline.

Everything you need to know about the cheetah

Characteristics

Dimensions

The cheetah can have a length between 110 and 150 centimeters, to which the approximately 70/80 cm of the characteristic tail must be added. It weighs between 35 and 60 kilos and its height at the withers is between 74 and 90 centimeters.

Fur

Generally spotted, it has a background ranging from brown to light yellow and white, with black spots that form a different pattern for each specimen. The coat is short but thick and feels very silky to the touch.

The evolutionary history and habitat of the cheetah

It appears that about 100,000 years ago, the cheetah migrated from North America to Africa. This continent is still its natural habitat today . It is said to be descended from American pumas, but the cheetah appears to prefer the tropical climate of Africa to the cold winters of North America.

However, there was a time when the cheetah found itself on the verge of extinction, due to its poor attitude to care for and protect the cubs in the herd.

Behavior when hunting

Despite its strength, the cheetah often has to give up its prey due to the presence of numerous carrion animals such as hyenas. Also, he was originally a nocturnal hunter, like many felines. Then, over time, this animal decided to hunt during  the day. In this way it has drastically increased its success rates, due to the greater availability of prey.

When chasing a herbivorous animal, the cheetah can count on its powerful eyesight. We could change the metaphor “eagle eye” to “cheetah eye” and the meaning would remain the same.

One of the peculiarities of this splendid carnivore is that, despite its renowned speed (it can run up to 93 km / h), it usually organizes its hunting trip very calmly and precisely.

For example, a hungry lion is prone to spend a lot of energy trying to grab a prey it is not sure to catch. The cheetah, on the contrary, looks for, observes and waits even for several hours. He wants to be  sure he will be successful. This saves him strength and energy which he can then release, all together, in pursuit of his chosen prey. An adult cheetah is 99% successful when hunting .

Like a true strategist, he moves to the most suitable terrain and chooses the best tactic. If the territory gives him a chance to sneak up on him, he will attempt to attack from the closest point possible. But if the terrain does not allow him to observe from afar, the race will start from much longer distances.

Reproduction in Cheetahs

The cheetah is polygamous, so the female will always look for new males to be fertilized, and each litter has two to four children. Each newborn puppy weighs about 300 grams.

The role of the mother is fundamental in the rearing of baby cheetahs. Waiting for the favor of darkness, the mothers take their young and escort them to a safer place away from possible predators. Lions, hyenas and other types of felines are always on the prowl and will do anything to attack the weak and inexperienced animals. Cheetah mother’s job is exhausting. It hunts during the day and often, without ever sleeping, protects its puppies at night.

Just think that  after 4 weeks  from birth, the baby cheetahs can finally start walking on their own and are able to follow their mother. They have a hard time getting used to the new life because temperatures and other circumstances are so harsh that just three out of ten puppies survive the first three months unscathed.

The male is completely disinterested in the female, and does not intervene either in the care or in the feeding of the puppies. Moms do everything and even teach them to hunt. Learning is achieved at the expense of gazelle cubs which are perfect for awakening the hunter instinct of very young cheetahs.

This is also a truly exceptional animal, not only beautiful but which, as you have seen, is able to make the most of its  best weapons : sight and speed. The cheetah is a very respectable, ancient and powerful feline, which we are sure has not left you indifferent.

Source of images: Yathin sk and Rob Qld.