CHEETAH

Facts

The Cheetah is a lightly built, spotted cat characterised by a small rounded head, a short snout, black tear-like facial streaks, a deep chest, long thin legs and a long tail. Its slender, canine-like form is highly adapted for speed. Cheetah typically reach 67–94 cm (26–37 in) at the shoulder and the head-and-body length is between 1.1 and 1.5 m (3 ft 7 in and 4 ft 11 in). The weight can vary with age, health, location, sex and subspecies; adults typically range between 21 and 72 kg (46 and 159 lb). Cubs born in the wild weigh 150–300 g (5.3–10.6 oz) at birth, while those born in captivity tend to be larger and weigh around 500 g (18 oz). Males larger and heavier than females, but not to the extent as seen in other large cats.

The coat is typically tawny to creamy white or pale buff (darker in the mid-back portion). The chin, throat and underparts of the legs and the belly are white and devoid of markings. The rest of the body is covered with around 2,000 evenly spaced, oval or round solid black spots, each measuring roughly 3–5 cm (1.2–2.0 in). Each Cheetah has a distinct pattern of spots which can be used to identify unique individuals. Newly born cubs are covered in fur with an unclear pattern of spots that gives them a dark appearance—pale white above and nearly black on the underside. The hair is mostly short and often coarse, but the chest and the belly are covered in soft fur. There is a short, rough mane, covering at least 8 cm (3.1 in) along the neck and the shoulders; this feature is more prominent in males. The mane starts out as a cape of long, loose blue to grey hair in juveniles.

The head is small and more rounded compared to other big cats. The ears are small, short and rounded; they are tawny at the base and on the edges and marked with black patches on the back. The eyes are set high and have round pupils. The whiskers, shorter and fewer than those of other felids, are fine and inconspicuous. The pronounced tear streaks (or malar stripes), unique to the Cheetah, originate from the corners of the eyes and run down the nose to the mouth. The role of these streaks is not well understood—they may protect the eyes from the sun’s glare (a helpful feature as the Cheetah hunts mainly during the day), or they could be used to define facial expressions. The exceptionally long and muscular tail, with a bushy white tuft at the end, measures 60–80 cm (24–31 in). While the first two-thirds of the tail are covered in spots, the final third is marked with four to six dark rings or stripes.

The Cheetah has a total of 30 teeth. The sharp, narrow carnassial molars are larger than those of Leopards and Lion, suggesting the Cheetah can consume a larger amount of food in a given time period. The small, flat canines are used to bite the throat and suffocate the prey. A study gave the bite force quotient (BFQ) of the Cheetah at 119 vs Lion at 128.1 and Leopard at 94.

Cheetahs have a flexible and complex social structure and tend to be more gregarious than several other cats (except the Lion). Individuals typically avoid one another but are generally amicable; males may fight over territories or access to females in oestrus. Females are not social and have minimal interaction with other individuals, barring the interaction with males when they enter their territories or during the mating season. Some females, generally mother and offspring or siblings, may rest beside one another during the day. Females tend to lead a solitary life or live with offspring in undefended home ranges. Young females often stay close to their mothers for life but young males leave their mother’s range to live elsewhere.

Some males are territorial, and group together for life, forming coalitions that collectively defend a territory which ensures maximum access to females—this is unlike the behaviour of the male Lion who mates with a particular group (pride) of females. In most cases, a coalition will consist of brothers born in the same litter who stayed together after weaning, but biologically unrelated males are often allowed into the group. If a cub is the only male in a litter, he will typically join an existing group, or form a small group of solitary males with two or three other lone males who may or may not be territorial. Males in a coalition are affectionate toward each other, grooming mutually and calling out if any member is lost. All males in the coalition typically have equal access to kills when the group hunts together, and possibly also to females who may enter their territory. The males in coalitions are notably healthier and have better chances of survival than their solitary counterparts.

The Cheetah is a carnivore that hunts small to medium-sized prey weighing 20 to 60 kg (44 to 132 lb), but mostly less than 40 kg (88 lb). Its primary prey are Impala in the eastern and southern African woodlands, Springbuck in the arid savannahs and to the south and Thomson’s Gazelle. Smaller antelopes like the Common Duiker are frequent prey in the southern Kalahari. In Namibia Cheetah are the major predators of livestock. livestock.

Cheetah are one of the most iconic pursuit predators, hunting primarily throughout the day, sometimes with peaks at dawn and dusk. Cheetah use their vision to hunt instead of their sense of smell; they keep a lookout for prey from resting sites or low branches. The Cheetah will stalk its prey, trying to conceal itself in cover, and approach as close as possible, often within 60 to 70 m (200 to 230 ft) of the prey. A stalking Cheetah assumes a partially crouched posture, with the head lower than the shoulders; it will move slowly and be still at times. In areas of minimal cover, the Cheetah will approach within 200 m (660 ft) of the prey and start the chase. Estimates of the maximum speed attained range from 80 to 128 km/h (50 to 80 mph). The chase typically lasts a minute; in a 2013 study, the length of chases averaged 173 m (568 ft), and the longest run measured 559 m (1,834 ft). Being lightly build, Cheetah lack the raw strength to tackle down the prey, and instead catch the prey by performing a kind of foot sweep by hitting the prey’s leg or rump with the forepaw or using the strong dewclaw to knock the prey off its balance. Cheetah can decelerate dramatically towards the end of the hunt, slowing down from 93 km/h (58 mph) to 23 km/h (14 mph) in just three strides, and can easily follow any twists and turns the prey makes as it tries to flee. Cheetah have an average hunting success rate of 25–40%.

Cheetah are induced ovulates and can breed throughout the year. Females can have their first litter at two to three years of age. Females have an oestrus (“heat”) cycle is 12 days long on average, but it can vary from three days to a month. A female can conceive again after 17 to 20 months from giving birth, or even sooner if a whole litter is lost. Males can breed at less than two years of age in captivity, but this may be delayed in the wild until the male acquires a territory. After a gestation of nearly three months, a litter of one to eight cubs is born (though those of three to four cubs are more common). Births take place at 20–25 minute intervals in a sheltered place such as thick vegetation. The eyes are shut at birth, and open in four to 11 days. Newborn cubs might spit a lot and make soft churring noises; they start walking by two weeks. Their nape, shoulders and back are thickly covered with long bluish-grey hair, called a mantle which gives them a mohawk type appearance; this fur is shed as the Cheetah grows older. Cubs start coming out of the lair at two months of age, trailing after their mother wherever she goes. At this point the mother nurses less and brings solid food to the cubs. Weaning occurs at four to six months.

The Cheetah is a vocal felid with a broad repertoire of calls and sounds; the acoustic features and the use of many of these have been studied in detail. The vocal characteristics, such as the way they are produced, are often different from those of other cats. Cheetah Chirp, churtle, purr, bleat, growl, hiss and gurgle. Another major means of communication is by scent. Touch and visual cues are other ways of signalling in Cheetah. Social meetings involve mutual sniffing of the mouth, anus and genitals. Individuals will groom one another, lick each other’s faces and rub cheeks. The tear streaks on the face can sharply define expressions at close range. Mothers probably use the alternate light and dark rings on the tail to signal their cubs to follow them.

The lifespan of wild Cheetahs is 14 to 15 years for females, and their reproductive cycle typically ends by 12 years of age; males generally live as long as ten years.