Cheetah - the fastest land animal in the world |
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Unique Features
The cheetah is the fastest animal on earth. It can run at speeds of over 100 kilometers per hour (almost 65 m.p.h.) and is able to stop dead in a single stride at over 30 kilometers per hour. The pads on the cheetah's forepaws are grooved like tire treads to prevent it from skidding. Cheetahs are able to vary their breathing from 16 to 156 breaths per minute in order to draw the extra oxygen needed for their phenomenal bursts of speed. For hundreds of years cheetahs were used in Asia to hunt gazelle. Cheetahs can go for up to 10 days without drinking water. They make up for it by lapping the blood and body fluids in the carcase cavity of their prey. Cheetahs are often robbed of their kill by lions, leopards, hyenas and wild dogs. Cheetahs do not roar. Their usual sound is a birdlike chirp. They also growl, hiss, spit and purr. Description The cheetah is a graceful and elegant felid and the second most successful hunter in Southern Africa, bettered only by the wild dog. The cheetah's small jaws and teeth prevent it from killing large prey. When hunting, the cheetah always selects one quarry and sticks to it relentlessly until the prey is either caught or completely lost. Usually it brings down its quarry at full speed when it can be knocked off balance quite easily. Predators Cheetahs are sometimes killed by hyenas, leopards and lions. When attacked by a predator a cheetah will usually flee and outrun them. However, hyenas have more stamina than cheetahs and can eventually tire them out and capture them. Family Ties Cheetahs are mostly solitary although sometimes they will form small groups of five or six animals. Cheetahs usually greet each other by sniffing each others faces. For the first few weeks, the female hides her cubs. |