Just How Fast Is A Cheetah And Other Facts
One of our favourite big cats is the cheetah which is a member of the Felidae family, making them closely related to pumas, lynxes and bobcats. These graceful animals are well known for their amazing speed and can be identified by their unique black spots on their yellow coats. According to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, the cheetah is the fastest land based animal in the world, and has the ability to reach speeds as fast as 72 kilometres per hour in under three seconds. The cheetah’s top speed is 103 kilometres per hour, however they can only sustain that only very briefly. Let’s take a closer look at this very elegant animal.
Size and characteristics
- Cheetahs range between 3.5 to 4.5 feet (1.1 to 1.4 metres) long from head to rump,
- The tail of a cheetah adds an additional 25.5 to 31.5 inches (65 to 80 centimetres).
- Typically cheetahs weigh around 5.5 to 10.2 stone. (35 to 65 kilograms).
Where can you find cheetahs
The cheetah prefers to roam and hunt in dry open grassland which gives them the ability to quickly generate speed and kill their prey. Cheetahs tend to hunt during dusk or dawn and whilst most big cats tend to aim for the throat when they are in pursuit, curiously cheetahs do not do this. Instead a hunting cheetah will seek to knock its prey over before suffocating it by clamping down on the throat.This amazing big cat can generally be found in:
- sub Saharan Africa
- Parks in Southern and Eastern Africa.
- Iran
- Northern Niger
- Southern Algeria
Male cheetahs are social
Male cheetahs tend to be social animals but this does not mean they hang about with just any other cheetah. The Smithsonian says that male cheetahs form small groups which are known as coalitions and are usually made up of brothers. In contrast, the female cheetah is a loner who will only spend time with their young or with male cheetahs during mating season.
Baby cheetahs are tiny
The gestation period for a pregnant cheetah is roughly three months, and the typical pregnancy results in the birth of three young on average. Baby cheetahs are known as cubs and when they are first born are very tiny, weighing between 150 to 300 grams. As the cubs start growing, their mother will start to teach them how to hunt and other essential skills necessary for survival. Cubs tend to stay with their mother anywhere from between 18 months to two years.
Conservation status
The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN’s) says the cheetah and its sub species are considered vulnerable. In fact the Asiatic cheetah which can only be found in Iran is in danger of extinction with less than 200 remaining in the wild. All populations of cheetah are seeing their numbers decline and it is estimated that there are less than 15,000 left on the planet. You can help with cheetah conservation by adopting one today.