Animals In
Danger
Cheetah
By: Carlos Andrés Rojas
Juan David Contreras R.
Habitat
Savannah grasslands. Cheetahs
thrive in areas with vast expanses of
land where prey is abundant. In
Namibia cheetahs have been found
in a variety of habitats, including
grasslands,
savannahs,
dense
vegetation,
and
mountainous
terrain. Ninety-five percent of the
Namibian population lives on
commercial farms.
You might say that cheetahs
invented fast food. They are
perfectly adapted for hunting in the
grasslands and arid regions of Africa
. Being so quick they are able to
capture prey that no other animals
are able to catch. Cheetahs are
sprinters, not long-distance runners.
They are easily winded after their
incredible
bursts
of
speed.
Researchers have even found that a
cheetah's temperature can instantly
rise up to 105 degrees during a
chase. This requires them to rest
after each hunt.
Description
The world's fastest land animal,
the cheetah, is a unique and the
most specialized member of the
cat family and can reach speeds
of 70 mph. Unlike other cats, the
cheetah has a leaner body,
longer legs, and has been
referred to as the greyhound of
the cats. It is not an aggressive
animal, using flight versus fight.
With its weak jaws and small
teeth, the price it paid for speed,
it cannot fight larger predators to
protect its kill or young.
Weight of cheetah ranges from
50 to 60 kg. The head and body,
without the tail, are about 1.1 to
1.5 m long, and the claws are
short and lack the sheath that
covers retracted claws in other
cat species. The coat is yellowishbrown with black spots.
Threats
Hunting and habitat loss for
agriculture conflict with humans,
are the main threats facing the
cheetah today.
Hunting using wire snares is a very
destructive and indiscriminate
method of hunting. However, it is
the painful death that this method
inflicts on the animals caught that
leave many animal lovers horrified.
A snared animal takes many days
before it eventually dies as you can
see below. They die of starvation
and physical injuries and not
necessarily chocking as most
people think.
Extinction is forever and
survival is up to you and
me---every last one of us!
The Cheetah Conservation
Fund is the conduit through
which everyone can
become involved.
BIOGRAPHY
 www.cheetah.org
 www.lions.org/cheetah-habitat.html
 http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/cheetah.php
 http://www.cheetahssp.org/