CHEETAH
Scientific name: Acinonyx jubatus
The cheetah is the fastest land animal. It is adapted for speed in the
following ways:
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Small head that offers little resistance at high speed
Long legs for large strides at high speed
Flexible spine to allow for long strides
Laterally flattened tail that is used as a rudder at high speed
Enlarged liver, heart, lungs and vascular system to allow for
extra oxygen needed by the body
 Reduced canine teeth to allow for enlarged sinuses for extra
oxygen that is required at high speed
 Semi-retractable claws to act like running shoes.
 Ridged pads on feet for added traction
DESCRIPTION
Cheetahs have solid spots, as opposed to the markings seen on
leopards. Every cheetah has a unique pattern of markings - similar to
a human fingerprint. It is possible to identify cheetah based on their
markings, although to the untrained observer this is not very easy.
Because Cheetahs claws are not fully retractable, they get worn
down slightly when walking and running, and as such they are not as
sharp as most cats.
SPEED
Cheetahs can reach top speeds of between 100 and 120 km/hour.
This has been accurately measured on a grey hound racetrack.
Although Cheetah have incredible speed and acceleration, they are
only able to maintain these speeds for short periods before they have
to stop to rest and to cool down. When running at full speed, the
Cheetah covers 7-8 meters in just one stride, and takes four strides
per second. The Cheetah does not just have a high top speed - it
also has incredible acceleration, and can accelerate from zero to
80km per hour (50 miles per hour) in just 3 seconds. The downside to
the Cheetahs speed is that it is not as strong as other predators such
as a Leopard as additional muscle mass would add to the Cheetahs
weight and slow it down.
PREY
Cheetahs generally hunt small to medium size antelope. Cheetahs
hunt by stalking their prey and dashing out at the last minute. The
Cheetahs excellent camouflage helps it stalk its prey to allow it to get
within range for the final high speed chase. When the Cheetah
catches up with its prey, it generally trips its prey, then grabs it with
their claws. If the Cheetah does not catch its prey in a fairly short
distance, it will abandon the chase to conserve energy ready for its
next attempt.
HABITATS
As the cheetah is adapted for speed and is the fastest animal on
earth many people assume that it is a plains (savannah) animal only.
Many wildlife documentaries on cheetahs have been filmed in east
Africa where animals are easy to observe on the vast plains and they
are also more habituated. Cheetahs are actually found in different
kinds of habitats and it is believed that less energy is expended by
hunting in more wooded areas.