In ancient times, the Asiatic cheetah was often called a hunting cheetah, and even went hunting with it. Thus, the Indian ruler Akbar had 9,000 trained cheetahs at his palace. Now in the whole world there are no more than 4500 animals of this species.

Features of the Asian cheetah

At the moment, the Asian species of cheetah is a rare species and is listed in the Red Book. The territories where this predator is found are under special protection. However, even such nature conservation measures do not give the desired result - cases of poaching still occur to this day.

Despite the fact that the predator belongs to the feline family, there is little in common. In fact, the similarity with a cat is only in the shape of the head and outline, in terms of its structure and size, the predator is more like a dog. By the way, the Asian leopard is the only feline predator that cannot hide its claws. But this shape of the head helps the predator to keep the title of one of the fastest, because the speed of movement of the cheetah reaches 120 km / h.

The animal reaches 140 centimeters in length and about 90 centimeters in height. The average weight of a healthy individual is 50 kilograms. The color of the Asiatic cheetah is fiery red, with spots on the body. But, like most cats, the belly still remains light. Separately, it should be said about the black stripes on the face of the animal - they perform the same functions as in humans, sunglasses. By the way, scientists have found that this type of animal has spatial and binocular vision, which helps it to hunt so effectively.

Females in appearance practically do not differ from males, except that they are slightly smaller in size and have a small mane. However, the latter is also present in all non-born ones. By about 2-2.5 months, it disappears. Unlike other cats, cheetahs of this species do not climb trees, since they cannot retract their claws.

Food

Successful hunting of an animal is not only a merit of its strength and dexterity. In this case, acute vision is the determining factor. In second place is a keen sense of smell. The animal hunts animals of approximately its size, since the prey has not only the hunter himself, but also the offspring, as well as the nursing mother. Most often, the cheetah catches gazelles, impalas, wildebeest calves. A little less often he comes across hares.

The cheetah never sits in ambush, simply because it is not necessary. Due to the high speed of movement, the victim, even if he notices the danger, will not have time to escape - in most cases, the predator overtakes the prey in just two jumps.

True, after such a marathon, he needs to take a breath, and at this time he is a little vulnerable to other predators - a lion or leopard passing at this time can easily take away his lunch.

Reproduction and life cycle

Even conception here is not the same as in other felines. The female's ovulation period begins only when the male runs after her for a long time. That is why breeding a cheetah in captivity is almost impossible - it is impossible to recreate the same conditions on the territory of the zoo.

Bearing offspring lasts about three months. A female can give birth to about 6 kittens at a time. They are born completely helpless, therefore, until the age of three months, the mother feeds them with milk. After this period, meat is introduced into the diet.

Unfortunately, not all babies survive to the age of one. Some become prey to predators, while others die due to genetic diseases. By the way, in this case, the male takes an active part in raising children, and if something happens to the mother, then he completely takes care of the offspring.

The cheetah is a beautiful feline. He has a slender body, a small head with small ears and a rather long tail. The weight of a cheetah can reach 65 kg, the length of the body is 140 cm, and the tail is up to 80 cm. The coat is light yellow in color with small dark spots, two dark stripes are clearly visible on the head, extending from the eyes downward, which give a sad expression to the muzzle.

Spread


The cheetah lives on the African continent, as well as in parts of Asia. Previously, it was more widespread, but due to the destruction by humans, the number of cheetahs in nature has greatly decreased.

Food

Like other members of the feline family, cheetahs are carnivores. They hunt animals of medium and small size. Most often, gazelles, hares, ostriches and some other animals become their victims. Cheetahs do not hunt from ambush, like other felines, but pursue their game in open spaces, overtaking it with large jumps.

Lifestyle

In search of prey, cheetahs go out in the morning or in the evening, and in the hot daytime hours they prefer to rest in the shade. Males live independently or form small groups. Having united, they hunt together and protect the territory from other males.

The female almost always hunts alone and brings up the cubs herself. She usually has two to six babies. Cubs are born weak and blind. Baby cheetahs could be easy prey for predatory animals, but they manage to escape thanks to their unusual coloring. Their fur is colored in almost the same way as that of the honey badger, and the honey badger is a rather aggressive animal, and rarely anyone wants to mess with him. During the hunt, the female leaves her cubs in the thickets, and when she returns, she feeds them with milk. The kids stay with their mother until about a year and a half, and then begin an independent life.

In nature, cheetahs live up to 20-25 years, and in captivity they can live much longer. This is due to the fact that in zoos, cheetahs receive regular nutrition and timely treatment.

  • The cheetah is the fastest land mammal. It can reach speeds of up to 115 km / h.
  • While running, the cheetah makes jumps from 6 to 8 m long.
  • In a cheetah, the claws do not fully retract and help it develop high speed in the same way as spike shoes in athletes.
  • At high speed, the cheetah chases game no more than 400 meters. If on this segment it is not possible to overtake the victim, then the cheetah stops pursuing.
  • In ancient times, cheetahs were used for princely hunting. For this, young cheetahs were caught and taught to hunt wisdom.
  • Cheetahs quickly get used to humans, are well tamed and trainable.
  • Cheetahs do not attack humans.

Cheetah brief information.

Cheetahs are part of a large feline family, and although they cannot climb trees, they can move faster than any other land animal. Cheetahs can accelerate from 0 to almost 100 km per hour in 5.95 seconds, their maximum speed is about 113 km / h. Cheetahs are built for speed. The flexible spine allows their forelegs to reach far forward, covering 20 to 22 feet (over 6 m) in a single jump, much like a racehorse. Cheetahs stay above the ground for more than half the time they run. Their stiff claws give them extra traction when pushing. However, these animals get tired quickly and are forced to slow down in order to gain strength to continue the chase.

These cats have adapted to the hot climate and drink water only once every three to four days. One of the characteristics of cheetahs is the long, black lines that run from the inner corner of each eye to the mouth. They are commonly referred to as "tear lines" and scientists believe they help protect the cheetah's eyes from the scorching sun. This predator has amazing eyesight; during the day, he can spot prey 5 km away. However, he sees poorly in the dark. Predators such as leopards and lions tend to hunt at night, while cheetahs only hunt during the day. Given their body weight and blunt claws, they are not well equipped to fend for themselves or their prey. When larger or more aggressive animals approach a cheetah in the wild, it will give away what it has caught to avoid a fight.

Cheetahs do not even know how to growl, but they purr the loudest! Of the large family of felines, cheetahs are closest to domestic cats, they weigh only 45 - 60 kg. In ancient Egypt, cheetahs were considered pets, they were tamed and trained for hunting. This tradition migrated to the ancient Persians and to India, where it was continued by Indian princes in the twentieth century. Cheetahs continued to be associated with royalty and elegance, and have long been used as pets and for hunting. Cheetah lovers were also Genghis Khan and Charles the Great, who boasted that he kept cheetahs in the palace. The ruler of the Mughal empire Ak-bar (1556 -1605) kept about 1000 cheetahs. More recently, in the 1930s, the Emperor of Ethiopia often photographed walking with a cheetah on a leash. Even in the modern world, they are tame. Caught in captivity at an early age, they lose their hunting instinct.

Cheetahs are endangered and their numbers worldwide have declined from about 100,000 in 1900 to 9,000-12,000 today. Thanks to research by scientists, it is even possible to help increase the number of individuals in certain areas. In Namibia, cheetahs come close to human habitation when hunting livestock, as it is more difficult to hunt in the wild.

As a result, diseases of domestic animals were found in cheetahs, in addition, there were cases of killing cheetahs in order to protect livestock. The solution to this problem was the Anatolian Shepherd Dogs, which scared away predators, forcing them to scatter over vast territories in search of food, thereby contributing to the emergence of new families in the wild. Similar studies are carried out wherever cheetahs live or become extinct. Basically, it was decided to breed wild cats in captivity, and eventually release them into the wild.

A selection of beautiful pictures and photos with cheetahs.

Acinonyx jubatus) is a predatory mammal, belongs to the feline family, the genus cheetahs ( Acinonyx). Today it is the only surviving species. The cheetah is the fastest animal in the world: when chasing prey, it reaches speeds of up to 112 kilometers per hour.

Cheetah - description, structure, characteristics

The body of the cheetah is elongated, rather slender and graceful, but, despite the apparent fragility, the animal has well-developed muscles. The legs of the mammal are long, thin and strong, the claws on the paws are not fully retracted when walking and running, which is not at all typical for felines. The head of the cheetah is small, with small rounded ears.

The body length of a cheetah varies from 1.23 m to 1.5 m, while the length of the tail can reach 63-75 cm, and the height at the withers is on average 60-100 cm. The weight of a cheetah ranges from 40 to 65-70 kg.

Short, relatively sparse, sandy-yellow cheetah fur, dark spots of various shapes and sizes are evenly scattered all over the skin, with the exception of the belly. Sometimes in the area of ​​the head and withers there is a peculiar mane of short, coarse hair. On the face, from the inner corners of the eyes to the mouth, there are black stripes - "tear marks", which help the cheetah to better focus on the prey while hunting, and also reduce the risk of being blinded by bright sunlight.

How long does a cheetah live?

In their natural habitat, cheetahs live 20, less often 25 years. Under excellent conditions in captivity, the lifespan of these predators can significantly increase.

Where does the cheetah live?

The cheetah is a typical representative of natural areas such as deserts and savannas with flat relief. The animal prefers open areas. The cheetah lives mainly in Africa, in countries such as Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Somalia and Sudan, as well as in Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Chad, Ethiopia, Central African Republic and South Africa. Predators have also been reintroduced in Swaziland. On the territory of Asia, the cheetah is practically exterminated and, if found, then in very small populations (in Iran).

What is the difference between a cheetah and a leopard?

Leopard and cheetah are animals that belong to the class mammals, the order of carnivores, the feline family. belongs to the genus of panthers, the cheetah belongs to the genus of cheetahs. There are a number of differences between the two predators:

  • The body of cheetahs and leopards is slender, flexible, and the tail is long. The length of the cheetah's body reaches 123-150 cm, the length of the leopard's body is 91-180 cm.The length of the cheetah's tail reaches 63-75 cm, the tail of the leopard is much longer and is 75-110 cm.
  • An important difference between a cheetah and a leopard is the speed of the animals' running. A cheetah is faster than a leopard; when chasing prey, the cheetah runs at speeds up to 112 km / h. The leopard is noticeably slower, its speed at short distances reaches 60 km / h.
  • The cheetah almost never drags its prey up the tree, and the leopard has this habit.
  • Leopard's claws are retractable, like all felines; the cheetah has partially retractable claws.
  • The cheetah is a daytime predator, while the leopard prefers to be active at dusk or at night.
  • Hunting in a pack is the norm for a cheetah, and a leopard is a solitary predator.
  • On the cheetah's face there are characteristic black stripes, tear marks that run from the corners of the eyes to the mouth. The leopard has no such marks.
  • The spots on the skin of the cheetah are clear, but do not form strict contour patterns. In a leopard, the pattern on the skin is usually collected in spots in the form of rosettes, and the spots can also be solid.
  • Leopard cubs are born with spots on their skin, cheetah kittens are not spotted at birth.
  • The habitat of the cheetah is savannah and deserts, and the predator prefers flat areas. The leopard lives in tropical and subtropical forests, in the mountains, in coastal thickets of rivers, as well as in the savannas.
  • The modern habitat of the leopard is much wider than that of the cheetah. If the cheetah lives only in African countries, and only a few populations live in Iran, then the leopard is common not only in sub-Saharan African countries, but also on the islands of Java and Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Pakistan, northern and southern China , Bhutan, Bangladesh, in the Far East near the border of Russia, China and North Korea, in Western Asia (Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Pakistan, in the North Caucasus of Russia), on the Arabian Peninsula.

Left cheetah, right leopard

Subspecies of cheetahs, photos and names

The modern classification identifies 5 subspecies of cheetahs: four of them are inhabitants of Africa, one is very rare in Asia. According to data from 2007, about 4500 individuals live in African countries. The cheetah is listed in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List.

African subspecies of cheetahs:

  • Acinonyx jubatus hecki - the habitat covers the countries of North-West Africa and the Sahara;
  • Acinonyx jubatus fearsoni distributed in East Africa;
  • Acinonyx jubatus jubatus lives in South Africa;
  • Acinonyx jubatus soemmerringi - populations of the subspecies are found in North-East Africa.

Asian subspecies of cheetah:

  • Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) lives in Iran in the provinces of Khorasan, Markazi and Fars, but the populations of this subspecies are very small. Perhaps (the facts are not confirmed), several individuals live on the territory of Pakistan and Afghanistan. In total, there are no more than 10-60 individuals in the wild. The zoos are home to 23 Asian cheetahs. The predator differs from the African subspecies: its legs are shorter, the neck is more powerful, the skin is thicker.

Extinct species of cheetahs

  • Acinonyx aicha
  • Acinonyx intermedius
  • Acinonyx kurteni
  • Acinonyx pardinensis- European cheetah

Among the typical coloration of cheetahs, there are exceptions caused by rare genetic mutations. For example, the king cheetah is so special in color. Black stripes run along its back, and the sides are decorated with large spots, which sometimes merge together. For the first time, an individual with such an unusual pattern on the skin was discovered in 1926, and for a long time scientists argued about classification, considering these cheetahs to be the result of hybridization of a cheetah and a serval, and even tried to attribute the royal cheetah to a separate species. However, geneticists put an end to the controversy when, in 1981, at the De Wildt Cheetah Center in South Africa, a pair of common cheetahs gave birth to a cub with a non-standard fur color. Royal cheetahs interbreed perfectly with their counterparts, which have a typical pattern on the skin, while healthy and full-fledged offspring are born.

Other colors of cheetahs

There are other mutational abnormalities among cheetahs. In the wild, scientists have noticed predators with all sorts of colors, including:

  • Albino white cheetahs;
  • Black cheetahs with a barely noticeable contour of spots (this mutation is called melanism);
  • Red cheetahs with golden hair and auburn spots;
  • Cheetahs with light yellow or yellow-brown fur, covered with pale red spots.

Sometimes the cheetah's coat has a very dull and faded color, especially for the inhabitants of some desert zones: it is likely that such a nuance lies in the camouflage factor and the maximum adaptability of individuals to existence under the scorching sun rays.

How does a cheetah hunt?

By way of life, the cheetah is a daytime predator, preferring to be active during daylight hours. For hunting, the animal usually chooses cool morning hours or evening, but always before dusk, as it tracks prey most often not by smell, but visually. At night, the cheetah rarely hunts.

The way of hunting a cheetah is very unusual: unlike other representatives of felines, this animal does not attack a potential victim from an ambush, but overtakes it as a result of pursuit, combining very fast running with long jumps. In the process of the chase, the cheetah is able to quickly change the trajectory of movement and often uses such a maneuver to deceive the victim. This method of hunting a cheetah is determined by the habitat, because the open area practically does not imply conditions for shelters, therefore, to feed the animal, it is necessary to arrange sprint races. The cheetah knocks down the overtaken victim with a blow of a powerful paw, and only then strangles.

The maximum speed of a cheetah can reach 112 km / h. Despite the large volume of lungs, even he cannot cope with the rapid speed when running, and, spending a huge amount of energy, the cheetah gets very tired. That is why almost half of hunting chases end in failure: if the predator does not overtake the prey in the first 200-300 meters, it simply stops pursuing.

The cheetah is one of the most beautiful and graceful predators in the feline family. It attracts with its color, grace and is considered the fastest of all terrestrial living creatures. Today, these predators are divided into two main species: the African cheetah and the Asian cheetah. An animal from the latter group is on the verge of extinction.

External characteristics

The cheetah is different from other feline carnivores. The animal has very long legs, its head is small relative to the body, the body is muscular and slightly elongated. The ears are small, rounded. The height of a cat, if measured at the withers, reaches a meter, and its weight ranges from 40 to 65 kg. All these indicators make an excellent runner out of the animal. In addition, the long, elastic tail is an excellent "rudder" at high speed. The difference between these felines is that the claws on the paws do not retract, but always remain "ready". This feature is necessary for the cheetah, so that when running, the pads do not "slip" from the surface of the earth. The Asiatic cheetah has a sandy yellow color, on which small black specks are scattered. Black stripes descend from the eyes along the muzzle, which emphasize their beauty. The animal's fur is short.

On the hunt ...

The cheetah is a weak predator that suffers from high school students.

For example, lions, leopards, and even hyenas can take legally caught prey from an animal and drive away the runner. He cannot stand up for himself for the reason that he is very exhausted during the pursuit of game and does not have time to gain strength to defend his lunch. Therefore, the Asiatic cheetah goes hunting during the day, while strong predators are resting from the heat.

Having found a suitable target, the predator approaches it almost openly. A short sprint starts from a distance of 10 meters. In just two seconds it will reach 75 km / h, maximum in pursuit it will develop about 110 km / h. The beast is able to abruptly change direction, clearly landing at the point that it needs. At this moment, his breathing is increased 150 times. With a sharp claw on the wrist of the front paw, he knocks down the victim, after which he strangles it. But such a race can last only 20 seconds, during which he will run about 400 meters. If during this period the Asiatic cheetah does not have time to catch the target, it stops chasing, because it does not have enough oxygen. 50% of such hunts for this predator end in failure. It is also noteworthy that the beast feeds only on those victims that it caught and killed itself.

The diet

These cats prefer to hunt small ungulates.

So, their diet may include gazelles, wildebeest babies, impalas. In difficult times, when the animal cannot find its usual prey, it catches hares, birds and even rodents. Cheetahs often hunt in pairs or three, with such a company they are able to defeat a large prey or catch an ostrich. Thomson's gazelles remain the main food of these swift-footed animals. They make up almost 90% of a cat's diet. Cheetahs look for their prey, using mainly sight, not smell. This species belongs to territorial predators. Interestingly, a cheetah can hunt only within its domain. The animal sometimes teams up with siblings to defend its territory from other spotted runners. In addition, the females that live within the conquered borders belong to the victorious males.

Kittens

The offspring hatch for about three months. Usually 2-5 kittens are born. Since the mother has to go hunting from time to time, the babies remain defenseless.

That is why, up to three months of age, the crumbs have an unusual appearance. There is a gray fluffy "mane" on the withers, and a tassel on the tail, which is why predators confuse kittens with a fierce honey badger and do not approach them. But the mother on these grounds easily finds her offspring in the bushes. Before going hunting, a caring cat hides its young. Since the animal does not arrange a home for itself, the family constantly "moves" to different places. Despite such protection, the survival rate of young animals has always been very low. It is very difficult to take care of the crumbs, because they are too playful and, playing too much, may not notice the danger. For eight months, the female feeds her cubs with milk. The Asiatic cheetah lives near its mother for about a year and a half, after which it leaves. During this time, he needs to independently learn how to get food. In total, the animal lives up to 20 years. Although in zoos this number is higher. Living in captivity, even in excellent conditions, this animal practically does not produce offspring.

Man and cheetah

It has long been noticed that this animal easily gets used to humans. In ancient times, it was the Asiatic cheetah that was caught for hunting. The description of the hunting process shows that only a wealthy person could afford this predator. They put caps on the eyes of the cheetah and brought it in a cart to the place where the herds graze. After that, the animal's eyes were opened and he was given the opportunity to attack the victim.

Soon, almost every noble person had their own cheetah, and not even one. Although ideal conditions were created for many animals, they still did not reproduce, if they did produce offspring, it is very, very rare. To preserve the number of these "pets", the rich constantly caught young animals in the wild. This circumstance was partially reflected in the fact that the number of felines decreased, and the Asian cheetah completely disappeared in Asia and India. The photo above just shows a tamed predator.

On the verge of extinction

But the sharp decline in the species was also due to the fact that humans began to explore the wilderness where these spotted animals lived. In addition, cheetahs were the object of human hunting for some time, they were killed for the sake of beautiful fur. Today, this species has survived in some zoos, there are 23 individuals, only a dozen of them remain in the wild, the Russian Red Book says about this. The Asiatic cheetah continues to die out, as the number of prey, which serves as the main source of food for the predator, is decreasing at large. The African species of animal is still found on the continent, but its population is also rapidly declining.