CHEETAH
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus and Species: Acinonyx jubatus
THE WORLD'S FASTEST LAND MAMMAL IS VULNERABLE TO EXTINCTION THROUGHOUT
ITS RANGE
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Built more like greyhounds than typical cats, cheetahs are adapted for
brief but intense bursts of speed. They have wiry bodies and small heads. Their
coats are golden or yellowish, embellished with many small black spots, and
their tails are long with a few black bands and sometimes a white tip. Black
stripes run from their eyes down to the corners of their mouths.
SIZE
Cheetahs grow to between three and a half and four and a half feet
long, not including their 30-inch tails. They weigh between 75 and 145 pounds
and stand two to three feet tall at the shoulder. Males tend to be a bit more
robust and weigh about ten pounds more than females.
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
Cheetahs live in small, isolated populations mostly in sub-Saharan
Africa. They are very rare in southern Algeria and northern Niger, and range
from Senegal east to Somalia and south to northern South Africa. A few have
been reported from Iran. However, many of their strongholds are in eastern and
southern African parks.
STATUS
The cheetah is listed as vulnerable on the World Conservation Union's
(IUCN's) Red List of Threatened Animals.
HABITAT
Savannas, both open and more densely vegetated, give cheetahs the open
areas they need for quick stalks and chases. They are not found in forest areas
or wetlands.
NATURAL DIET
Cheetahs eat primarily hoofed mammals weighing less than 90 pounds,
including gazelles and young wildebeest. They will also eat smaller game such
as hares, warthogs, and birds.
NATIONAL ZOO DIET
The Zoo's cheetahs eat ground horse meat and sometimes beef, rabbits,
and chicks.
REPRODUCTION
Cheetahs can breed at any time of year but tend to copulate in the dry
season, with cubs being born at the onset of the wet season. Females reach
breeding age by 21 or 22 months of age. Males live in small permanent groups
called coalitions, which are usually made up of brothers. Males are drawn to
females in heat, but only one male in a coalition usually mates with the
selected female. On average, three cubs are born about three months after mating
takes place. Until five or six weeks old, the cubs remain hidden; if she needs
to move, the mother carries them from place to place. After five or six weeks,
cubs follow their mothers and share her kills. Cheetah cubs wean at about three
months old.
LIFE SPAN
In zoos, cheetahs may live up to 17 years; in the wild, they may live
eight to ten years.
BEHAVIOR
Female cheetahs live alone, except when raising cubs. They rarely
associate with other cheetahs, except when ready to mate. Males live in small
permanent groups called coalitions, which are usually made up of two to four
brothers. To avoid lions and leopards, cheetahs usually hunt in the middle of
the day. Cheetahs stalk their prey, approaching to within about 50 feet before
dashing out from cover and sprinting at the targeted animals. Cheetahs grab
their victims' throats and suffocate their quarry within a few minutes. After
securing their meal, they may drag it to nearby cover. Despite their best
efforts to hide their catches, their kills are often stolen by larger predators
and picked at by hordes of vultures. Lions and hyenas also eat cheetah cubs;
lions and leopards also kill adults.
PAST/PRESENT/FUTURE
Once widespread across arid Africa, into the Middle East and east to
India, the cheetah has suffered dramatic declines over the last century. It now
lives in Africa, and a few may survive in Iran. Hunted for their spotted coats
and because they sometimes attack livestock, they disappeared from many areas.
More recently, widespread habitat destruction has fragmented cheetah habitats,
isolating many populations. In many areas, the cheetah's prey has been
overhunted by people. Scientists have also found that many cheetahs suffer from
genetic defects due to inbreeding, possibly the result of a population
bottleneck—a sharp decline—that occurred perhaps as far back as 10,000 years
ago. Among other things, inbreeding could raise cub mortality, lower cheetahs'
resistance to disease, and cause infertility. An estimated 8,000 to 10,000 wild
cheetahs survive. Cheetah strongholds, where possible, must be connected to
allow genetic interchange if this species is to survive. Also, conflict between
cheetahs and humans needs to be moderated. For example, in Namibia, ranchers
may legally shoot cheetahs that prey on livestock.
FUN FACTS
A sprinting cheetah can reach 45 miles per hour within 2.5 seconds. Top
speed—up to 64 miles per hour—can only be briefly sustained.
In the 16th century, emperors and other royalty hunted gazelles with
trained cheetahs.
Source: http://nationalzoo.si.edu
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