While running, a cheetah covers 20 to 22 feet 6 to 6. But a cheetah is so much faster—the fastest racehorse runs 43 miles per hour 69 kilometers per hour , while a cheetah can run at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour kilometers per hour. A cheetah is off the ground more than half of its running time!
Running down a meal. Chasing prey is hard on a cheetah. Once caught, a cheetah holds its prey with a strangling bite to the neck. The cheetah pants intensely, and its body temperature can reach as high as degrees Fahrenheit 41 degrees Celsius. It takes 20 minutes for its breathing and temperature to return to normal, the same time it takes for the prey to suffocate.
A cheetah has smaller teeth and larger nasal passages than other big cats, which may be an adaptation that allows the cat to take in more air during the recovery period after a sprint. Home on the range. The cheetah survives in parts of Africa and a small population lives in Iran. They prefer grasslands and open plains. Here, they are well camouflaged and have room to run down their prey. Fast food. They must kill more often, expending more energy than other big cats. They tend to hunt in the morning and again at dusk.
They can hunt during the middle of the day if they have to, but during the heat of the day they prefer to rest. Cheetahs hunt by sight. But before the cat attacks or even begins to stalk its prey, the cheetah watches a herd from a high vantage point like a termite mound or a tree.
It stalks its prey in a semi-crouched position with its head lowered and freezes or drops to the ground to avoid being discovered. A cheetah tries to get within about feet 50 meters before it charges. In fact, cheetahs catch their prey in only half of the hunting attempts they make.
But they can purr just like house cats. Compared with other big cats, such as lions, tigers, and leopards, cheetahs have a wide vocabulary, according to the Smithsonian. In addition to purring, they are able to produce a large range of vocal cues, such as chirping similar to a bird chirp or dog's yelp ; stuttering a short, disconnected moan ; hissing; yelping loud chirp that can be heard up to a mile 1. Each vocalization has a specific meaning. Various types of chirping, for example, could be a mother giving instructions to her cubs, or a female trying to attract a male to mate.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species , most cheetah subspecies are considered "vulnerable," meaning their populations are in decline and the species is likely to become endangered if the circumstances threatening its survival don't improve.
All populations of cheetah are on the decline, Live Science previously reported, with the total wild population estimated at less than 6, individuals. According to the Smithsonian, there were at least , cheetahs living throughout western Asia and across Africa in The largest population of cheetahs is a group of approximately 2, in Namibia.
According to the African Wildlife Foundation, the cheetahs' steep population decline is tied to habitat loss, human conflict and illegal trade and poaching. Conservation efforts are underway to try and help the population rebound. Groups such as the African Wildlife Foundation and the Cheetah Conservation Fund work locally with communities near cheetah populations to create sustainable solutions for agriculture and population growth, so that both the cats and humans have sufficient space.
Protected areas and wildlife parks, such as the Cheetah Experience in South Africa, protect cheetahs as their habitats are taken away. Captive breeding programs at zoos like the San Diego Zoo and the Smithsonian National Zoo are working to help the cheetah population grow.
The programs are also striving to overcome the lack of genetic variation within wild cheetah populations. Cheetahs will inhabit areas where the ground is covered in thick brush, however, since this type of vegetation provides hiding places but does not prevent swift running. Cheetahs require a habitat that allows them to take refuge in a protective lair. Lairs are an essential part of the habitat of mother cheetahs, which require a safe place to give birth and raise cubs.
Cheetahs often select marshes, gullies, and areas with dense vegetation as a site to establish lairs. It is important that a lair is near water, since mothers who are pregnant or nursing young drink frequently. Cheetahs often establish new lairs if they feel that a previous habit was not satisfactory or was discovered by predators such as lions. Cheetahs prefer a habitat with a dry climate, since low humidity and rainfall often correspond with a low level of vegetation. Similarly cheetahs tend to live at altitudes above sea level and sometimes occupy sparsely vegetated mountains.
Desert vegetation gives cheetahs adequate protection in seeking lairs and shade without providing prey with hiding places or preventing cheetahs from reaching their maximum running speeds.
The population of cheetahs rebounded. Once found throughout Asia and Africa, today there are fewer than 7, adult and adolescent cheetahs in the wild. In Namibia, they are a protected species. Most wild cheetahs exist in fragmented populations in pockets of Africa, occupying a mere 9 percent of their historic range. In Iran, fewer than 50 Asiatic cheetahs a sub-species remain. The largest single population of cheetahs occupies a six-country polygon that spans Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Angola, Mozambique and Zambia.
In captivity cheetahs can live from 17 — 20 years. In countries across Africa, like Namibia, it is illegal to capture and take live cheetahs from the wild. Also in the majority of African countries, like Namibia, it is illegal to keep cheetahs under private ownership or as pets. Cheetah Conservation Fund and other Africa-based NGOs keep populations of injured or orphaned animals in captivity as part of rehabilitation and rewilding efforts. Very young and extremely ill animals will have greater degrees of contact with human caretakers.
Survival in the wild depends on an aversion to humans and avoidance of human populations. Cheetahs that require hand-rearing and prolonged medical treatment do not possess an adequate fear of humans for life in the wild, especially when their territories are increasingly likely to be shared by human settlements. Accredited zoos around the world participate in captive breeding programs that track the genetic suitability for mating pairs. Accreditation criteria differs between accrediting organizations.
Accreditation in most cases requires that zoos holding captive cheetahs must support conservation work. Cheetah Conservation Fund lists the zoos that fund our conservation work here.
Cheetah Conservation Fund manages the International Cheetah Studbook for captive cheetah populations. As with all other species fighting extinction, the problem facing the cheetah is complex and multifaceted. Unlike other large cats and pack predators, cheetahs do not do well in wildlife reserves. These areas normally contain high densities of other larger predators like the lion, leopard, and hyena. Predators such as these, compete with cheetahs for prey and will even kill cheetahs given the opportunity.
Farmers act quickly to protect their resources, often trapping or shooting the cheetah. Because cheetahs hunt more during the day, they are seen more often than the nocturnal predators which contributes to a higher rate of persecution on the cheetah.
Cheetahs require vast expanses of land with suitable prey, water, and cover sources to survive. Available habitat is fragmented, and degraded reducing the number of animals an area can support.
Numerous landscapes across Africa that could once support thousands of cheetahs now struggle to support just a handful. In many parts of the world there are strong cultural associations to keeping cheetahs as companions. There is a long history of the practice and it is commonly seen in ancient art. In contemporary times, cheetahs are still viewed as status symbols. Though cheetah ownership and exotic pet ownership has been outlawed in many countries, there is still a high demand for cheetahs as pets.
Cubs are illegally captured from the wild and only one in six survives the journey to a potential buyer. Threats to the Cheetah Captive Population Info. Cheetah Cubs At birth, the cubs weigh 8. At about six weeks of age The cubs begin following their mother on her daily travels as she is looking for prey. Between four to six months of age Cheetah cubs are very active and playful.
At about 18 months of age The mother and cubs will finally separate.
0コメント