Species Information

The world's fastest land animal, the Cheetah, is the most unique and specialized member of the cat family. It can reach speeds of 70 mph but with its weak jaws and small teeth, the price it pays for speed, it cannot fight larger predators to protect its kill or young. Cheetahs have to stalk their prey and get as close as they can before making an all-out sprint.

This cat is clearly built for speed! Virtually every part of its body is adapted in some way to maximize running speed. Special paw pads and non-retractable claws provide great traction. Large nostrils and lungs provide quick air intake; a large liver, heart and adrenals Running also facilitate a rapid physical response. A long, fluid, greyhound-like body is streamlined over light bones. Small collarbones and vertical shoulder blades help lengthen the stride. The tail acts as a rudder for quick turning; the eye's retinal fovea is of an elongated shape, giving the cheetah a sharp, wide-angle view of its surroundings.

Unlike other cats, they hunt almost entirely in daytime.

The name "cheetah" comes from a Hindi word meaning "spotted one" or from the Sanskrit word "chitraka". An adult has yellow or tan fur with solid black round or oval spots measuring .75 to 1.5 inches (1.9 to 3.8 centimeters) in diameter. The spots cover nearly the entire body; only the white throat and abdomen are unmarked.

The cheetahs' survival depends on people and their ability to manage the wild population and protect its habitat. While cheetahs were once found all over Africa, they are now endangered in most of their former ranges. Cheetahs do not pose a threat to human life. People have carried on the campaign against cheetahs because they believe cheetahs wantonly kill livestock as well as other animals, such as small or young antelopes, causing excessive economic loss. In reality, the amount of damage to domestic stock is exaggerated and is usually caused by a limited number of livestock-preying cats, or "problem" animals, and inadequate livestock practices.

According to the Cheetah Conservation Fund, "Cheetahs are only one of 33 million species living on the planet. Does it really matter if the cheetah becomes extinct? It is tempting to think that the loss of only one species will not affect us. But we must remember that all things are connected and explore how important cheetahs are in their ecosystem. When we lose even one species, our world becomes a poorer place to live. The cheetah deserves a place on this earth. The cat has been revered by humans for almost 5,000 years. If it is lost to future generations, it would leave a large hole not only in nature, but also in the very psyche of the human mind, which so naturally feels and knows the uniqueness of this creature. Namibia, with its varied ecosystems and diversity of life, poses the greatest hope for the cheetah's future. "

Two groups exist in wild populations: A family group the family group and males. Males, often brothers, usually form a coalition of 2 or 3; only rarely will a male live alone. This coalition will live and hunt together for life claiming a range which may overlap several female territories.

A cheetah is carnivorous and eats a variety of small animals. While most cats are Note puncture wounds nocturnal predators, the cheetah is primarily diurnal, hunting in early morning and late afternoon. Since it depends on sight rather than smell, it likes to scan the countryside from a tree limb or the top of a termite mound. Other big cats chase only a few hundred meters: the cheetah chases 3.4 miles (5500 meters) at an average speed of 45 miles per hour (72 kilometers per hour). The stalk is as important as the sprint: usually it will creep within 50 yards (46 meters) of an intended victim before the final acceleration.

If it succeeds in catching an animal the cheetah will suffocate it by clamping the animal's windpipe, sometimes as long as 5 minutes.

Not so long ago cheetahs inhabited an area from North Africa to India, but they are now commonly found only in sub-Saharan Africa (south of the Sahara Desert).

Throughout recorded history a cheetah pelt was a badge of wealth for its human owner. The animal was killed for its skin by some and captured for its hunting skills by others. But most recently, human excess is probably the major factor dramatically pushing the cheetah toward extinction. As human populations disproportionately increase in size other species are "squeezed out" - their living space becomes more limited as does their food supply.

Namibia has the largest population of wild cheetah - about 2500. Smaller populations exist in Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania while 19 other countries have even fewer.

Information source: Cheetah Conservation Fund, The Cheetah Spot