When you think of the cheetah, you think speed, The cheetah is the fastest animal on land. It has been clocked doing 70 mph in pursuit of prey.
Appearance
Head and body length of 48 inches (12 cm) plus a 30 inch (76 cm) tail. Weight ranges from 90 to 140 lbs. (41 to 64 kg). Females are smaller than males. Tawny coat with black spots. The king cheetah has broader spots that form lines running parallel with the spine on its back. The cheetah has a lean build, which is necessary for high speed sprinting.Distribution/Habitat
Cheetahs are distributed throughout much of Africa and to a much less extent, in the Middle East. The cheetah prefers an open habitat with just enough cover for stalking and chasing prey and for the concealment of the young.Habits
Females are solitary and do not appear to be territorial. Related and non related males may gather in groups of four or less to cooperate in hunting and defending their territory.Reproduction
An average of three cubs are born after a gestation period of 93 days. The cubs will have long grey hair for the first three months to camouflage them from predators. At 2 years, they are mature and leave their mother.Diet
Cheetah feed on impala, gazelles and other small herbivorous mammals. The cheetah will stalk to within 100 feet (30m) and begin chasing the prey. The chase will last for about 200 yards (182m) average. If the cheetah can not capture the prey within a minute after beginning the chase, the cheetah will tire quickly and must stop as the cat must expend much energy to maintain such a high rate of speed.Conservation
The cheetah is not on the endangered species list, but it is venerable as its population have dwindled to about 50% in the last 35 years. The cheetah also suffers another problem: Biologist believe that 10,000 years ago, the cheetah nearly became extinct with only about 10 cats remaining. Inbreeding caused low gene variability which causes the cat to have difficulty to evolving in a changing environment. It’s a wonder we have cheetahs today.Back to Big Cats Connection home page