ClickALinkBelow
Email Us

We are updating the whole site. It will several months for all sections to be updated. Links with a * means that section has been updated.

Print FREE personalized Valentines Cards for your Child's Class

Scroll down for Animal Links

Santa Letters
Easter Bunny Letters
Halloween Letters

Holidays:
Christmas
*Halloween
Thanksgiving
Valentine's Day
Easter

Child ID Kits - Gifts
*Customize 4 u
*Dan Scott, 137th
*Bob Dixon, 140th
*Charles Dake, 132nd
*Big Cat Rescue, FL

Exotic Cats:
White Tiger
Tiger
*African Lion
Barbary Lion
Jaguar
Leopard
Cougar
Siberian lynx
Serval
White Serval
BackYard Tiger
Caracal Lynx
*Clouded Leopard
Snow Leopard
Bobcat
Cheetah
Cheetah Cubs
Odds & Ends

Giant Panda-oldest
Giant Panda-old
Giant Panda NEW
Red Chinese Panda

Pachyderms:
African Elephant-old
Asian Elephant-old
Baby Elephants
Pygmy Hypo
Hippopotamus
Black Rhino-old
White Rhino
Indian Rhino

Primates:
Orangutan Baby
*Bonobo
Gorilla
Gorilla Baby
Chimpanzee
Pygmy Marmoset

Bears:
*Polar Bear
Alaskan Brown
Grizzly
Black Bear Cubs
Spectacled Bear

Canine Types:
Bush Dog
 *African Wild Dog
Grey Wolf
Spotted Hyena
Puppies For Sale
Red Fox

Hoofed Animals:
Horses
Somali Wild Ass
David's Deer
Bontebok
Bison
Cape Buffalo
Giraffes
Transcaspian Urial

Other:
BT Prairie Dog
Patagonian Cavy

Marine Animals:
Grey Whale
Beluga Whale
Manatee
Sting Ray
Walrus

MORE old FUN:
Crossword
Word Search
WOW Wedding
Dora Explorer
Blues Clues
Hangman
Flash Puzzles
Freeware
Animated Jigsaws
Jigsaws
Matching Jigsaws

BIRDS:
Bald Eagle
Flamingo
Lorakeet

Sign up for update notices Be notified when new stuff is added. Click above to send blank email.

 

All About Cheetahs

 

Learn all about cheetahs.  Cheetahs are a critically endangered species.  Learn about Species Survival plans and what YOU can do to help save the cheetah.  Cheetahs will be harder to save than most other endangered species, read about why.

Extinction is forever and survival is up to you and me---every last one of us!  
Extinction for the cheetah is VERY close!!

Height: 30+ inches at shoulder
Weight: 80-140 lbs.
Length: 4 feet - body length; 28 inches - tail length

The name "cheetah" comes from a Hindi word meaning "spotted one" or from the Sanskrit word "chitraka"

They are absolutely beautiful !

The cheetah is often mistaken for a leopard. Its distinguishing marks are the long teardrop-shaped lines on each side of the nose from the corner of its eyes to its mouth. The cheetah's coat is tan, or buff colored, with black spots measuring from 78 to 1.85 inches across. There are no spots on its white belly, and the tail has spots that merge to form four to six dark rings at the end. The tail usually ends in a bushy white tuft. Male cheetahs are slightly larger than females and have a slightly bigger head, but it is difficult to tell males and females apart by appearance alone.

The fur of newborn cubs is dark and the spots are blended together and barely visible. During the first few weeks of life, a thick yellowish-gray coat, called a mantle, grows along the cub's back. The dark color helps the cub to blend into the shadows, and the mantle is thought to have several purposes, including acting as a thermostatic umbrella against rain and the sun, and as a camouflage imitating the dry dead grass. The mantle is also thought to be a mimicry defense, causing the cub to resemble a ratel, or honey badger, which is a very vicious small predator that is left alone by most other predators. The mantle begins to disappear at about three months old, but the last traces of it, in the form of a small mane, are still present at over two years of age.

The cheetah is aerodynamically built for speed and can accelerate from zero to 40 mph in three strides and to full speed of 70 mph in seconds. As the cheetah runs, only one foot at a time touches the ground. There are two points, in its 20 to 25 foot stride when no feet touch the ground, as they are fully extended and then totally doubled up. Nearing full speed, the cheetah is running at about 3 ¸ strides per second. The cheetah's respiratory rate climbs from 60 to 150 breaths per minute during a high-speed chase and can run only 400 to 600 yards before it is exhausted; at this time it is extremely vulnerable to other predators, which may not only steal its prey, but attack it as well.

The cheetah has specialized for speed through many adaptations: It is endowed with a powerful heart, oversized liver, and large, strong arteries. It has a small head, flat face, reduced muzzle length allowing the large eyes to be positioned for maximum binocular vision, enlarged nostrils, and extensive air-filled sinuses. Its body is narrow, lightweight with long, slender feet and legs, and specialized muscles, which act simultaneously for high acceleration, allowing greater swing to the limbs. Its hip and shoulder girdles swivel on a flexible spine that curves up and down, as the limbs are alternately bunched up and then extended when running, giving greater reach to the legs. The cheetah's long and muscular tail acts as a stabilizer or rudder for balance to counteract its body weight, preventing it from rolling over and spinning out in quick, fast turns during a high-speed chase. The cheetah is the only cat with short, blunt semi non-retractable claws that help grip the ground like cleats for traction when running. Their paws are less rounded than the other cats, and their pads are hard, similar to tire treads, to help them in fast, sharp turns.

Since cheetahs rely on sight for hunting, they are diurnal: more active in the day than night. In warm weather, they move around mostly during the early morning and late in the afternoon when the temperatures are cooler. Lions hunt at night much more than the cheetah does.

Cheetahs are endangered because of: loss of habitat which means less prey.  This is partly because of commercial farming and development. Farmers view the cheetah as a nuisance and a problem.  Cheetahs need food to live and sometimes resort to farm animals.  So Farmers hunt and kill many cheetahs.  Cheetahs are also the sad victims of poachers.  Poachers illegally kill huge numbers of cheetahs. 

Animals compete poorly with humans for space. Humans normally change the environment very rapidly; animals cannot always adjust to these changes or adapt quickly enough.

The cheetah needs large areas to live and hunt in. Cheetahs do not live together in large numbers like other big cats do. Loss of habitat and a limited geographical range (a small area in which to live) threaten the cheetah's survival.  

High cub mortality, up to 90% in the wild, makes it difficult for the cheetah to recover when its population size decreases. Few cheetahs live long or do not become adults. This makes them more vulnerable to human competition.

Loss of habitat and having less prey, competition with large predators and farmers, and poaching are taking a heavy toll on wild cheetah populations throughout Africa. Today, there are fewer than 12,500 of these endangered cats remaining in Africa and Asia. Many experts say that number is even smaller.  Taking into account how difficult it is for a cheetah to actually live long enough to become and adult and have cubs those numbers are dropping at an alarming rate.  

Cheetahs used to live in vast numbers throughout Africa.  Cheetahs got a bad reputation for being a problem animal.  In reality cheetahs do not pose a real threat to humans. They have been given more blame than they deserve for killing livestock.  It is not cheetahs in general.  Once in a while a cheetah is forced into farm areas to look for food.  It is usually just a few problem animals not the species in general.  With better livestock practices and a balanced habitat for cheetahs this problem could be easily resolved. The cheetah needs a large expanse of land to survive, but with the expanding of the human race this area is becoming smaller and smaller.

As a protected species in Namibia, people are allowed to remove cheetahs only if they pose a threat to livestock or human life. Unfortunately, some farmers will capture cheetahs indiscriminately (the "problem" animals may not be singled out), often removing or killing those that have not taken any livestock. Limited international trade in live animals and skins is permitted from Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Illegal trade in other parts of Africa and indiscriminate capture and removal in southern Africa continue to threaten the survival of this species.

Over 5,000 years humans have pondered the wonder f the cheetah.  It is certainly the most unique of the big cats.  It has a history that is simply fascinating. 

Namibia, with its varied ecosystems and diversity of life, poses the greatest hope for the cheetah's future. The largest wild population of cheetahs is found in Namibia. The largest population of cheetahs is in Namibia, which is now growing more independent and democratic. With the country's expansion, the cheetah population is decreasing in size. The Namibian cheetah population has declined by half in the last ten years. Experts say there are less than 2,000.  Given the cheetahs' short life span, few live births, and fewer cheetahs living to adulthood that number will soon be ZERO!!  The time to act is NOW.

About 12,400 cheetah remain in 25 African countries, and maybe 100-200 cats survive in Iran. Namibia has the world's largest number of cheetahs, yet only 2,500 remain in the wild.

Studies have not been conducted in the wild on longevity; 8-12 years is average in captivity. In the wild their life span can be half of that in captivity. Cub mortality is high for the species in both the wild and captivity. An average 30 percent of all cubs born in captivity die within one month of birth, and in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park, about 90 percent die before reaching the 3 months of age.

Lack of genetic variation, reproduction abnormalities, high infant mortality, and a great susceptibility to disease place the species at a further risk of extinction. Genetic variation allows species to adapt better to environmental and ecological changes and to fight off diseases.

The cheetahs' own loss of genetic variation, is killing off the remaining numbers. There are simply fewer and fewer cheetah cubs being born and fewer and fewer of those cubs living long enough to have cubs of their own. Unfortunately, captive breeding efforts have not proven meaningful to the cheetah's hopes of survival.  This is why programs like the Species Survival plan being used at Dickerson Park Zoo is so very very important. 

Why Does The Cheetah Lack Genetic Diversity? 

To help this sleek hunter of the African wild win its race against extinction, we MUST:
  1. 1. Help protect its habitat and ensure a place for it on Namibian farmlands
    2. Aid in the conservation of the wild prey base
    3. Halt the indiscriminate capture and removal of the cheetah
    4. Improve livestock management
    5. Educate everyone about the need to conserve biological diversity, and the predators' unique role in a healthy ecosystem
  2. 6. Support captive breeding of cheetahs as well.

Dickerson Park Zoo has had wonderful successes with artificial insemination.  It is vital for this work to continue if there is to be any hope at all for the cheetah species to be saved.  YOUR adoption of a cheetah at Dickerson Park Zoo CAN & WILL make a difference.

It may already be too late to save the cheetah.  If YOU & I do not act NOT there will probably be no cheetahs in a few years!!  It is critical.  PLEASE ACT NOW!!! Look for an adoption button on this website.  YOUR adoption CAN and WILL make a difference. 

Remember cheetahs are the oldest species of big cats.  PLEASE do NOT let our generation be the last to enjoy them, ACT TODAY!!

The cheetahs' survival depends on people and our ability to manage the wild population and protect its habitat. Also for other reasons reproduction in captivity is very difficult.  Artificial insemination has been a helpful key.  

 

Below are a few FUN Cheetah facts:

  • The cheetah, is much smaller in size than a lion.

  • Cheetahs are sometimes mistaken for leopards - much heavier animals with rosette shaped spots and no tear marks

  • Cheetahs are usually very shy and timid, and do not usually pose a threat to humans.

  • The cheetah is the world's fastest land animal,  it can reach speeds of 70 mph. but are extremely clumsy fighters. The result is that although the cheetahs are the best hunters in Africa, they lose much of their prey to the more aggressive predators, such as lions and hyenas.

  • The cheetah, is the most unique and specialized member of the cat family.

  • Cheetahs have a leaner body, longer legs, and has been called the greyhound of the big cats.

  • Cheetahs are not as aggressive as other big cats.

  • A cheetah would rather run than fight.

  • Although a cheetah has great speed it has smaller weaker jaws than other big cats.  Therefore it cannot always protect it's cubs.

  • Also it cannot protect its food from larger stronger predators.

  • Its coat is tan with small, round, black spots, and the fur is coarse and short. The cheetah has a small head with high-set eyes. Black "tear marks," which run from the corner of its eyes down the sides of the nose to its mouth, keep the sun out of its eyes, and aid in hunting.

  • The cheetah has blunt semi-retractile claws.

  • Adult body length 112-135 cm; tail length 66-84 cm; shoulder height 73+ cm; weight 34-54 kg. The male is slightly larger than the female.

  • The cheetah's flexible spine, oversized liver, enlarged heart, wide nostrils, increased lung capacity, and thin muscular body make this cat the swiftest hunter in Africa. Covering 7-8 meters in a stride, with only one foot touching the ground at a time, the cheetah can reach a speed of 110 km/h in seconds. At two points in the stride, no feet touch the ground.

  • Once found throughout Asia and Africa, the species is now only scattered in Iran and various countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Home ranges in Namibia for males can be up to 1500 square km and for females, 1200-1500 square km.

  • Cheetahs have a unique, well-structured social order. Females live alone except when they are raising cubs. The females raise the cubs on their own. The first 18 months of a cub's life are important - cubs learn many lessons because survival depends on knowing how to hunt wild prey species and avoid other predators such as leopards, lions, hyenas, and baboons. At 18 months, the mother leaves the cubs, who then form a sibling group, that will stay together for another 6 months. At about 2 years, the female siblings leave the group, and the young males remain together for life. Males live alone or in coalitions made up of brothers from the same litter. Some coalitions maintain territories in order to find females with which they will mate. Territories are often located in areas where there is a rich supply of wild game and/or water. Fierce fights between male coalitions, resulting in serious injury or death, can occur when defending territories.

  • Cheetahs hunt in the late morning and early evening. They capture their prey by stalking - until they prey is within 10-30 meters - before chasing. The prey is suffocated when a cheetahs bites the underside of the throat. Chases last about 20 seconds, and rarely longer then 1 minute. About half of the chases are successful. In Namibia, cheetahs use playtrees (trees with sloping trunks and large horizontal limbs, usually camelthorns) to observe their surroundings and mark the area. Cheetahs make chirping sounds, and hiss or spit when angered or threatened. They purr very loudly when content.
  • Sexual maturity occurs at 20-23 months. The gestation period is about 95 days, and the average litter size is 4-5 cubs. Cubs are smoky-grey in color with long hair, called a mantle, running along their backs; they are up to 30 cm long and weigh 250-300 grams at birth. The mantle has several purposes: it is thought to camouflage the cub in dead grass, hiding it from predators, and to work as a mimicry defense, causing the cub to resemble a honey badger (ratel).
  • Cheetahs have been kept in captivity for some 5,000 years. However, they breed poorly, and the captive population has been maintained through wild collection. Cheetahs suffer from a lack of genetic diversity making them more susceptible to disease and decreasing reproduction. The many parks and reserves of Africa offer protection for only a small amount of cheetahs. In these parks, lion and hyena numbers increase, and the cheetahs cannot compete with these large predators which kill cheetah cubs and steal their prey. Evolution has favored speed, and not strength for this species.
  • CHEETAHS ARE WILD ANIMALS. Capture of wild cheetahs threatens the survival of the species in two ways. First, the removal of individuals reduce the species' genetic diversity in the wild. And secondly, cheetahs do not breed well in captivity. The Asian cheetah is nearly extinct because of its capture for private use. Special dietary requirements, special needs, and unpredictable behavior make this a poor pet. Wild instincts remain intact even with tamed and captive-raised animals.

  • The mating period lasts from one day up to a week. The female's gestation period is 90 to 95 days, after which she will give birth to a litter of up to 6 cubs. She will find a quiet, hidden spot in the tall grass, under a low tree, in thick underbrush, or in a clump of rock. Cheetah cubs weigh between 9 to 15 ounces when born.

  • Although cheetah cubs are blind and completely helpless at birth, they develop rapidly. At 4 to 10 days of age, their eyes open, and they begin to crawl around the nest area; at 3 weeks their teeth break through their gums. Due to the possibilities of predation from a variety of predators, the female moves her cubs from den to den every few days. For the first 6 weeks, the female has to leave the cubs alone most of the time, in order to hunt. Also, she may have to travel fairly long distances in search of food. During this time, cub mortality is as high as 90 percent in the wild, due to predation. The cubs begin to follow their mother at 6 weeks old, and begin to eat meat from her kills. From this time onward, mother and cubs remain inseparable until weaning age.
  • The cubs grow rapidly and are half of their adult size at 6 months old; at 8 months old, they have lost the last of their deciduous teeth. About this time, the cubs begin to make clumsy attempts at stalking and catching. Much of the learning process takes the form of play behavior. The cubs stalk, chase and wrestle with each other and even chase prey that they know they cannot catch, or prey that is too large. The cubs learn to hunt many different species, including guinea fowl, francolins, rabbits, and small antelope. They still are not very adept hunters at the time they separate from their mothers.
  • The female leaves her cubs when they are between 16 to 18 months old to rebreed, starting the cycle over again. The cubs stay together for several more months, usually until the female cubs reach sexual maturity. At this time, the male cubs are chased away by dominant breeding males. Male cubs stay together for the rest of their lives, forming a coalition. Male coalition is beneficial in helping to acquire and hold territories against rival male cheetahs. Males become reproductively active between 2 and 3 years of age.
  • The cheetah unlike other 'Big Cats' does not roar, however it does purr and other vocal sounds range from high pitched yelps and barks to longer chirruping sounds.
  • The cheetah  can easily outrun any animal over short distances. Its paws too, are almost dog-like, narrow and hard padded they sport only slightly retractable claws, the only of its type amongst the species of cat, and offer the cat extra grip in its high-speed pursuits. 
  • The cheetahs hunting technique has been adapted to suit its speed and agility and unlike many other wild cats it hunts mainly by day. It will follow its prey from a distance, commonly the large herds of gazelle, impala or antelope, selecting old, injured or young animals, who's speed will be impaired. Once selected the cheetah will give chase and with its superior speed, more often than not succeed in bringing down its prey on the first attempt. The cheetahs powerful jaw muscles enable the cat to grip its prey, without pause, for several minutes and it uses this to suffocate its catch by clamping the windpipe. Interestingly, compared to other species of wild cat, the cheetah has enlarged nasal passages which enables it to breathe more easily during this final phase of the kill. Once the kill has been made the cheetah however will often pause to regain its strength before eating - at this time the cheetah itself is vulnerable and can often lose its prey to packs of hyenas or to other scavengers of the open plains. The cheetah will hunt alone or in family groups, usually comprising of adult male relatives - such groups usually have much larger territories than the lone female hunter who must stay close to here young
  • Full sprints last about 20 seconds and almost never exceed 1 full minute.

  • The female cheetah lives a solitary lifestyle, intent only on rearing and protecting her offspring. The male on the other hand is often found in small groups, comprising most commonly of two or three brothers, who maintain specific territories, protecting them against lone males or other groups. Known also as a Coalition, the group of males are more likely to be successful in hunting collectively and in defending much larger and often, more long standing territories.

  • Whatever the meal - large or small -  cheetah eats quickly for if challenged it will most often lose. Cheetahs have unusually clean eating habits: they do not return to their kill nor do they eat carrion; they leave the skin, bones and entrails of their prey. At 6 weeks the young are strong enough to follow the hunt and when they are about 6 months old the mother will capture live prey for them to practice killing.

  • Cheetahs do not seek out old or weak animals as prey. 

  • Cheetah may go several days without water - in a pinch they have been known to break open melons for fluid. 

  • Young females, however, usually occupy the same range as their mother although ALL females are solitary except when they have a litter. Average female home ranges extend to 833 square kilometers. Males and females mix only to mate: a female raises her cubs alone. The average life span of wild radio-collared female cheetahs is 6.9 years which compares to 11.7 years for those in captivity.

  • Although this cheetah looks pretty fierce its teeth are small compared to other big cat's. Everything about the cheetah is designed to enhance its running speed. To run really fast requires lots of oxygen and  to breathe in lots of oxygen the cheetah needs very large nasal passages. But large nasal passages leave no space for the long  roots required to anchor big teeth. Without large teeth the cheetah is limited in its fighting abilities. It is easily overwhelmed by larger, stronger cats like lions. Because of its short teeth a cheetah must kill its prey by suffocation - the jaw structure enables a vise-like grip

  • Cheetahs prey on a variety of species from rabbits to small antelope, and the young of larger antelope. Their hunting technique is to stalk as close as possible to the prey, burst into full speed, tripping the prey with a front paw and, as the prey falls, biting it by the throat in a strangulation hold.

  • The King Cheetah, once thought to be a separate sub-species, is an African Cheetah exhibiting a rare fur pattern mutation. A recessive gene must be inherited from both parents in order for this "blotchy" pattern to appear. First discovered in Zimbabwe in 1926, this very rare animal has been seen in the wild only 6 times. It has been known to exist in Zimbabwe, Botswana and in the northern part of South Africa's Transvaal province. The DeWildt Cheetah Research Centre in South Africa specializes in breeding this cat in captivity.


  • (We did not make this picture is was captured from another web page, we would like to know where it came from) Cat claws retract and do not show in a paw print. Dog claws are non-retractable and are visible. As diagrammed above the leopard's paw is typical of cats - with claws retracted. The cheetah's paw, showing the mark of unsheathed partially retractable claws, is more like that of a dog. 
     Blunted claws
    (We did not take this photo, but would like to know who did so we can give credit here to them) Cheetah claws are actually semi-retractable and aid in acceleration. Naturally, over time they become blunted from wear. The paws are less rounded and harder than other cats' and help the cheetah make quick turns. The "thumb" claw or dew claw is positioned back of the other 4 and higher. This claw is used to hook prey during the chase. Cheetahs are actually named for that claw! Their scientific name  - Acinonyx - was coined in 1828 by Joshua Brooks from the Greek words "akaina" which translates as "thorn" or "goad" and "orux" which means "claw". 

 

 

Much of the information on this page has been COPIED.  We would like to thank the many sources from which this information came. Encyclopedias, and official websites as well as other sources.  Again this info has mostly been copied.  If you have used your information here and it offends you, please notify us and we will remove it.  It is our desire to further raise awareness of the plight of the Cheetah and encourage folks to do their part in its survival.

 

 

 

 

***NEW Fully Automated Program for making Personalized Holiday Letters***
DOZENS & DOZENS of letters and personalization options.
Bigger & Better than anything currently on the market.
Personal Use OR Home Business Opportunity
A MUST see to believe item!!  Also get a FREE Child ID Safety Kit!!