Overview
A large, slender cat, hollow-backed, with long, thin legs and a small rounded head. The pale yellowish coat is covered with small black spots and there are distinctive black facial stripes (tear stripes) from eyes to mouth. The hair on the neck and shoulders of males is thicker and forms a slight mane. The tail is long with black bands toward the end, and has a bushy white tip. There are five toes (including dewclaws) on the front feet, four on hind feet, all with blunt, slightly curved claws that only partially retract. Females are smaller, more lightly built and without the slight mane, but are otherwise similar to males.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammal
- Order
- Carnivora
- Family
- Felidae
- Genus
- Acinonyx
Habitat
Semi-desert, grassland and savanna. Rarely in forest. Distribution- Small, scattered populations exist throughout Africa, except in the central Sahara Desert and the tropical forest zone. Outside of Africa, cheetahs are still found in northern parts of the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Iran, Russian Turkestan, Afghanistan, Baluchistan (Pakistan), and northern and central India.
Diet
Small or medium-sized antelopes and birds. Does not eat carrion. Requires little or no water and can subsist on moisture from prey animals, or sometimes desert melons.
Behavior
Found alone or in small groups, usually consisting of a female with cubs or several related adult males. Groups avoid each other and mark their areas, but do not seem to defend them. Females give birth at 17-20 month intervals, with the usual number of cubs 3-5 (range is 1-8). Cubs are weaned at 3-6 months of age, leave the mother at 15-17 months, and are sexually mature at 21-22 months. Unlike most cats, it does not ambush its prey or stalk to within springing distance, but will begin its charge from 75-100 yards (70-90 m) away, or even farther. An overtaken animal is knocked down, then seized by the throat and strangled. Most hunts are said to be unsuccessful, especially when the charge is begun from a longer distance. Eyesight is exceptional, and its hearing and sense of smell are good. The cheetah is the world's fastest land mammal for a short distance, reportedly able to sprint 50-70 mph (80-112 km/h). Not a good tree-climber, though it does climb them. This cat hunts by sight.
Hunting
A Cheetah only eats freshly killed meat so they don’t respond to baiting as is commonly done for Leopard or Lion. However if you happen to come across a freshly killed antelope by Cheetahs, the chances of the Cheetahs coming back to eat their kill is high. This is a fortunate encounter type situation and a well placed simple makeshift hide should be quickly put together on the spot for an opportunity to see them return to their kill within a pretty short period of time. Suffice it to say that Cheetah hunts are mostly done on an encounter basis, it does take a bit of luck to encounter them, usually while traveling long distances by car over our territory, some tracking can also be conducted although the Cheetah is a particularly challenging animal to track for a variety of reasons. Hunting can also be done from a blind at a waterhole or known areas frequented by Cheetahs at Ozondjahe Hunting Safaris territory such as particular plains, play trees and scat rocks which can tremendously increase the chance of a successful Cheetah hunt.It is timid and unaggressive toward man and has been tamed and used to run down game for more than 4,000 years. Protected in most countries; however it may lawfully be hunted in Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe under certain conditions, as it is considered harmful to domestic stock. This animal cannot be imported into the United States.
Conservation Status
Listed as Vulnerable by IUCN. The known Cheetah population is roughly 6,700 adult and adolescent animals distributed across 29 subpopulations. These estimates are very approximate, and are derived from largely expert assessment and from the extent of known resident Cheetah range multiplied by density, however, they constitute the best available information. The global population estimate can be broken down regionally into an estimated 4,190 adults in Southern Africa (IUCN SSC 2007a, in prep.); 1,960 adults in Eastern Africa (IUCN SSC 2007b); 440 adults in Western, Central and Northern Africa (IUCN SSC 2012); and 80 adults in Iran (Hunter et al. 2007, Iranian Cheetah Society 2013). There is only a single subpopulation with an estimated size of more than 1,000 individuals, and only one additional subpopulation larger than 500, the remaining 27 known subpopulations are estimated to hold less than 500 individuals. Additional areas where Cheetah status is poorly known are unlikely to raise the total to over 10,000. (IUCN)