COLUMBUS ZOO CHEETAH SKIN
They eat the meat (not usually the skin or bones) of antelope (usually Thompson’s gazelles), ground-dwelling birds, rabbits, porcupines, and ostriches. They must kill more often, expending more energy than other big cats. Cheetahs aren’t strong enough to hide or guard their catch, so they have only one chance to eat their meal. Here, they are well camouflaged and have room to run down their prey.įast food. Once they’ve recovered from chasing down a meal, cheetahs must eat quickly, as leopards, lions, baboons, jackals, vultures, or hyenas can drive them away. Home on the range. The cheetah survives in parts of Africa and a small population lives in Iran. A cheetah has smaller teeth and larger nasal passages than other big cats, which may be an adaptation that allows the cat to take in more air during the recovery period after a sprint.
It takes 20 minutes for its breathing and temperature to return to normal, the same time it takes for the prey to suffocate. The cheetah pants intensely, and its body temperature can reach as high as 105 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius). Once caught, a cheetah holds its prey with a strangling bite to the neck. Running down a meal. Chasing prey is hard on a cheetah. A cheetah is off the ground more than half of its running time! But a cheetah is so much faster-the fastest racehorse runs 43 miles per hour (69 kilometers per hour), while a cheetah can run at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour (112 kilometers per hour). While running, a cheetah covers 20 to 22 feet (6 to 6.7 meters) in one stride, about the same distance as a racehorse. The cat’s long tail is used as a rudder during high-speed chases, and its enlarged nostrils, lungs, and heart are adaptations that help a cheetah exert itself. Most of the claws are exposed all the time, so they don't stay sharp like those of other cats.Ī small, cone-shaped piece of bare skin on the back of each front leg serves as a brake.
A cheetah can retract its claws a bit, but the fleshy sheaths that protect the claws of most cats are absent in the cheetah. Its claws are hard and sharp like cleats, giving the cat great traction when running. A cheetah’s ability to run starts with its flexible spine, which allows the front legs to stretch far forward on each stride. Their bodies are uniquely designed to run very fast for fairly short distances, allowing them to catch prey that other big cats can’t get. Run like the wind. Long and lanky, cheetahs are the sprinters of the cat world. Cheetahs hunt alone and don’t have any of the group behaviors that lions do. Cheetahs are peaceable except at breeding time, when males fight over females and have been known to kill each other. Adult males are larger than females and have a “mane” on the shoulder area that can also be seen on cubs. Some males are solitary, but related males, usually brothers, live in small groups called coalitions. Females are solitary except when they have young. They are neither solitary nor social but are a little of both. Social life on the savanna. Cheetahs are found primarily in the eastern and southern ranges of Africa south of the Sahara Desert, with small populations in North Africa and Iran. The cheetah has adorned the courts of kings, queens, and emperors, and its amazing grace and beauty still amaze the world today. Egyptian tombs and rock temples show representations of the cheetah, and many ancient cultures used the cheetah for its hunting prowess, much the way falcons are used in many countries to accompany hunters. People have marveled at this fastest of land mammals for thousands of years.
Spotted sprinter. If ever an animal was born to run, it’s the cheetah.
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