Cheetah

1. Cheetah The Cheetah is the fastest animal on four legs. Speed helps it to catch its prey and escape from danger. Cheetahs are not powerful enough to protect themselves from lions, hyenas or humans. They once lived across Asia and most of Africa. Now they are vulnerable for extinction. As grasslands are turned into farms, cheetahs have nowhere to hunt. Some are shot for their skin or because they have killed livestock.

2. On the open plains these animals stalk gazelles and small antelopes to within 30 metres and then run them down. They have large nostrils and nasal passages to provide airflow when running or choking their prey. Cheetahs only eat fresh meat and their very rough tongue scrapes of every last bit of meat of the bones of their prey. However, their teeth and jaws are fairly weak and so they are unable to eat bones or tough hide. Their curved and razor sharp dew claw is used to snag their prey.

3. When running, their short, blunt claws grip the ground. They can take huge steps due to their flexible backbone and long legs. A cheetah can cover 6 metres in just one step. That’s 10 ordinary human steps. Their well muscled back and hind legs aid powerful acceleration. They can get from a standing start to 72 kilometres per hour in just 2 seconds. Ridges on the pads of their feet and short, thick claws that act like spikes on a sprinter’s shoe, provide great grip for fast takeoffs. The long tail balances the Cheetah through swift twists and turns.

4. Male cheetahs live in groups of 3 or 4 called ‘coalitions’ and together they defend their territory. Female cheetahs live alone except during mating or when they have cubs. Text adapted from Toronga Open Plains Zoo. Dubbo, NSW.