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Cheetah outruns everything on the plains of Africa, establishing
itself as one of the most successful hunters in family felidae.
Although not included in big cats by many experts owing to its
inability to roar, Cheetah is one of the most envied big game predators
in the wild, arousing frequent backlash by lions and leopards who often
find themselves unable to compete with Cheetah's hunting prowess.
Honed
to a sleek and slender physique Cheetah ranges in weight from 100 to
150 lbs, with its long body and tail assisting it in high speed
pursuits. The coat is generally yellowish with small black spots
running throughout its length. The belly, like most cats, is whitish.
Evolutionary adaptations that enable Cheetah to generate tremendous
speed include large nostrils, heart and lungs (that enable maximum
oxygenation during rapid pursuits), big adrenal glands (for the
adrenaline rush!), rudder-like tail (for balancing and rapidly turning
to match the clever Thomson gazelle) and non-retractable claws (to
provide 'grip' on the ground during the chase).
Cheetah's speed
means that it can take down prey that most predators don't even think
about - the Springbok is magnificent in its own right and yet can't
evades the Cheetah half the times. Impala and hares are also frequently
preyed upon, whereas wildebeests are taken down only in pairs. Usual
approach is to stalk the prey and approach as near as possible. When it
is near to being spotted, Cheetah begins the chase - reaching from 0 to
100 km/hr in three seconds, Cheetah outclasses most modern automobiles
- capable of reaching 125 km/hr with its feet almost seeming not to
touch the ground! After bringing the prey animal down, powerful jaw
muscles enable Cheetah to crush the victim's wind pipe while the large
nostrils allow it to breathe simultaneously enabling it to hold on for
long periods. The high speeds tire this great hunter also, elevating
body temperature to dangerous levels. The cat thus rests after the
hunt, making it vulnerable to scavengers like hyenas who often claim
the kill.
Cheetah has an organized social structure, with males
forming coalitions and female doing solitary hunting and parenting. A
big litter is born after mating that continues year round, though a
fraction of the cubs survive, and are often killed by lions, leopards
and hyenas. Maturity is reached at one year for males and two years for
females, after which time they leave the mother to establish their
territories, with the ranges varying with habitat. Cheetahs prefer
relatively open grasslands and are not very adaptable to changes in
their environment.
Limited adaptability, inbreeding, hunting by
farmers and poachers and removal of animals from the wild for use as
pets - through history - have meant that Cheetah lacks genetic
biodiversity as a specie to an alarming extent, with some experts
fearing its survival. The splendid cat is considered threatened in Asia
and vulnerable in Africa, with foundations in Africa working to restore
their ecosystem in the wild and overcoming the shortage of prey and
habitat that are threatening the flourishing of this fantastic animal.
The author is a blogger about cats and an expert on cheetah.
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