Cheetahs aren’t good at pretty much anything except moving and being beautiful. They don’t have good night vision, they can’t climb trees, but when it comes to their favorite sport — movement — they are perfect. They are the only land mammal that can make a swift turn in the air while in motion, and they use their tails to propel them in the direction they want to go.
Unlike all other carnivorous mammals, cheetahs don’t pounce and tear their prey apart immediately. Instead, they bite the neck region for more than five minutes, suffocating their prey, then quickly eat the entire carcass before a more powerful predator comes along.
The cheetah is considered the easiest of the big cats to tame. Many have been kept as pets at least since the Sumarians tamed one some 5,00 years ago. Gengis Khan kept a pet cheetah, and Egyptian pharaohs used them as hunting partners. Today the cheetah is considered endangered and cannot be legally purchased, although black-market sales of cheetahs and other exotic animals are estimated to be a $10-million industry.
Cheetahs are highly endangered cats and their numbers have been dwindling, especially in East Africa where a thriving black market trade exists. On the black market a cheetah can fetch upwards of $10,000. They are usually shipped by boat from Africa to the coast of Yeman then on to countries in the Persian Gulf. Many die along the way.
It’s true, cheetahs are found in some parts of Iran, but the majority live in Eastern and Southwestern Africa, with the greatest number found in Namibia. This sparsely populated country is home to about 2,500 cheetah, more than any other country. Cheetah like to live in areas with savannahs and dense vegetation for hunting. Besides Namibia, they live in parts of South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya.
Cheetahs are fairly prolific breeders with a gestation period of only three months. Litters usually average between three and five cubs, but many cubs do not survive to adulthood. They are vulnerable to attacks by other animals. After birth the mother cheetah will often move her cubs, especially at night, to prevent predators snatching her babies. She is especially vulnerable thanks to bad eyesight.
As an extra genetic protection measure, baby cheetahs naturally grow a yellow-gray mantle on their backs which makes them look like a honey badger — an aggressive carnivorous animal that most big cats fear. This helps them camouflage themselves when predators come prowling.
Like leopards, cheetahs also have black spots but you can tell the two cats apart by three major differences:
1) Cheetahs have smaller heads
2) Cheetahs have stripes running from a corner of their eyes down to their nose and mouth.
3) Cheetahs have narrower waists.
Unlike most big cats, cheetahs don’t roar. They chirp and purr. They also differ from other African big cats in that they do not have excellent night vision. You won’t see cheetahs out hunting at night like leopards. They prefer to hunt in the early morning and late afternoon.
When it comes to sports beyond running, cheetahs are not particularly gifted. They are terrible at climbing trees and although they can technically swim, most won’t get in the water.
When it comes to snacking, researchers say the cheetahs love to eat the small Thomson’s gazelle best of all. They can also survive for more than four days without drinking water if necessary.
When it comes to socializing, cheetahs are not really into small talk. Females are almost exclusively loners. Males, however, are sometimes forced into groups, and when this happens, they do tend to get along better than females. The collective term for cheetahs is a coalition.
