Hello everyone,
this week's post is all about cheetahs. These incredible big cats are known for their speed, but what else?
this week's post is all about cheetahs. These incredible big cats are known for their speed, but what else?
Habitat and loss of it
Cheetahs live and hunt in the grasslands and bushy areas of Africa and the
Middle East. Once, they could be found all across Africa and Asia, now they
are heading towards extinction. The loss of their natural habitats and the
decline in their prey is the reason behind this massive decline.
Hunting and Diet
Cheetahs have excellent eyesight, which they use to spot prey during the day.
They then creep up on their prey, camouflaged in the grass. Suddenly they dash
for their prey. They are the fastest land animals in the world, reaching
speeds of about 60 to 70 miles an hour (97 to 113 kilometres an hour). However
they can only run this fast for about 15 seconds before they overheat. After
that they have to catch their breath for half an hour before they can eat
anything. They use this method to catch hares, wildebeest calves and gazelles.
Cubs
Female and male cheetahs only come together to mate. The female cheetah then
raises her cubs alone. There are about three to five cubs in a litter. They
stay with their mother until they are between 16 and 24 months old. The cubs
learn by watching their mother hunt. Soon they will hunt whatever they see
including their siblings. This helps them learn. They enjoy play fighting each
other.
We hope you enjoyed this post about cheetahs. See you soon!
Sources:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/cheetah
https://www.britannica.com/animal/cheetah-mammal
https://cheetah.org/learn/about-cheetahs/
https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/cheetah
Images:
Cheetah, owned by Ryan Kilpatrick (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
hunting, owned by anna (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
Cheetah Cubs, owned by Ryan Kilpatrick (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/cheetah
https://www.britannica.com/animal/cheetah-mammal
https://cheetah.org/learn/about-cheetahs/
https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/cheetah
Images:
Cheetah, owned by Ryan Kilpatrick (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
hunting, owned by anna (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
Cheetah Cubs, owned by Ryan Kilpatrick (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
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