10 top cheetah facts!
Join us in a thrilling chase with the fastest land mammal on Earth…
Get ready to meet one seriously fierce, fast and fur-ocious feline with these fascinating cheetah facts!
1) Nearly all wild cheetahs can be found in sub-Saharan Africa, where they roam open, grassy savannah plains and open forests. A small population lives in northeastern Iran, although only a few dozen remain here.
2) These big cats’ bodies grow to between 1.1m and 1.4m metres long, plus a tail measuring 65cm to 80cm. Their weight ranges from 34kg to 54kg, males being slightly heavier.
Love animals? You’d love our magazine!
Ask your parents to check out Nat Geo Kids magazine!
(AD)
3) Cheetahs have a pale yellow coat with black dots on the upper parts, and are white on the underbelly. Their faces are distinguished by prominent, black lines that curve from the inner corner of each eye to the outer corners of the mouth.
4) The fastest land animal in the world, a cheetah can reach 112km/h in just three seconds – that’s faster than a sports car accelerates! Its body has evolved for speed, with long legs, an elongated spine, adapted claws to grip the ground and a long tail for balance.
5) Cheetahs are carnivores and live off other animals they find on Africa’s plains, including rabbits, warthogs, springboks, gazelles and birds.
6) These fierce felines hunt during the day to avoid competition from other powerful predators such as lions, hyenas and leopards. And boy, can they hunt! First, they use their exceptional eyesight to scan their surroundings before quietly stalking their chosen prey. Then, when the time is right, they sprint from cover, knock down their victim and kill it with a bite to the throat.
7) As sprinting at such mega speeds uses a lot of energy, a cheetah chase is usually limited to 200-300m, and lasts less than a minute.
8) Social animals, cheetahs are usually found in groups, consisting of either a mother and her young, siblings (who stay together for around six months after leaving the mother) or a coalition of males who live and hunt together. Adult females, however, tend to be solitary and only meet with males to mate.
9) Females usually give birth to between two to eight cubs at a time. She nurses her youngsters in a lair hidden by tall vegetation, until they are 16 to 24 months old and able look after themselves.
10) Sadly, this beautiful animal is threatened by loss of habitat and prey, as well as conflict with humans. As a result, the cheetah is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red list, and, today, an estimated 9,000-12,000 remain in Africa.
Â
Picture credits
Cheetah family in grass: Chris Johns. Cheetah chasing prey: Stu Porter, Dreamstime. Cheetah watching: Heinrich Van Den Berg, Dreamstime.
What did you make of our cheetah facts? Leave a comment below and let us know!
Â
Likes
LEAVE A COMMENT
your avatar
THANK YOU
While you wait for it to be checked and approved why not to add a pre-selected message and a cool badge
WELL DONE,
YOUR COMMENT
HAS BEEN ADDED!
COMMENTS
I really enjoy this app. It is amazing it is really cool.
Cheetahs are my FAVOURITE animal, I had done a magazine about cheetahs to show people how vulnerable they are and how many are left in the wild right now! It's very sad how rapidly there population is decreasing:( I really hope that the cheetahs get a big boost sometime in their population; they are incredible animals! One day I hope I hope I recarnate back as cheetah♡
COOL
thank you very much
I wish cheetahs weren't endangered
that ar good
amazing
hi
I love cheetahs because they are so fast. I am sad that they aren't many left in the wild.
Please please please save Cheetah because they are my favourite animals in the whole world
Best info yet
SAVE CHEETAHS
i love love love love cheetahs
Cool!,!!!!!!
i didnt know all that thats cool
I love Cheetahs. There are so cool. I think there the best animal in the world.
A cheetah us my favorite animal, love it.
love it
wow
SUPER COOL
Cool