Sociable?
Not exactly. Only the males, often brothers, roam and hunt in a coalition of 2 or 3. Rarely will they live alone. This is in contrast to the females who are solitary except when they have litter. Males and females mix only to mate. As such the female raises her cubs alone.
Biologically engineered for speed
Classic example of nature and adaptation at it’s finest.
The cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world with a top speed of 110km/hr. You think that’s fast? Even 5 month old cheetah cubs can easily outrun almost any other adult carnivore! Though a member of the cat family, it differs in many ways from the big cats like lions, tigers, leopards and panthers which rely on brute strength to hunt and overpower its prey.
Cheetahs rely purely on speed. And to achieve such blinding speed the cheetah has a highly adapted structure. It is the only member of the cat family that has non-retractable claws. This blunts the claws and makes them ineffective for attacking prey, but highly useful in providing traction to the cheetah during the chase. Its heavy tail acts as a rudder and the flexible backbone as a spring. The cheetah’s light, lean frame is attributed to thin bones and during the chase the cheetah is at times completely airborne with none of its paws touching the ground.
All this speed comes at a price, and so to accommodate the increase in oxygen intake, the cheetah has large nasal passages, a large heart and adrenal glands to support high metabolism. The large nasal passages leave precious little space for the cheetah’s small teeth and jaw. As such once the cheetah outruns its prey, it clamps onto the neck and suffocates its victim before consuming it.
Strength vs Speed
The cheetah is very vulnerable once it has captured its prey after a high speed chase. The intense effort expanded leaves the cheetah in exhaustion and if it is to savour the spoils of its victory, it must eat quickly. The slight cheetah is no match for the much bigger, heavier predators like the lions and hyenas. Even a pack of vultures can easily oust the cheetah and steal away the prize.
Cub Mortality
In the wild, cheetah cub mortality rate can reach as high as 90%. The main predators are lions and hyenas. In fact it’s been shown that lions kill cheetah cubs as a matter of course. They don’t eat them, they just kill them. Researchers have yet to find a reason for this phenomenon. And it doesn’t help that the females being the sole parent are forced to leave their cubs in search of food.
And now another fun fact you can take away with you: Ever wondered what the difference is between the leopard and the cheetah? Same colouring, both cats, right?. Well, the cheetah is easily identifiable by its characteristic black "tear mark" running from the inner aspect of each eye down to the mouth. Oh, and the leopard’s much heavier, remember strength vs. speed and agility?
PS: Alright, alright, if you insist: I watched a documentary, found it riveting and decided it was my duty to educate the world!....or maybe just the two of you. Oh, nevermind! Anyway I hope you found it as educational and as much fun as I did. Cheetahs rule!
Not exactly. Only the males, often brothers, roam and hunt in a coalition of 2 or 3. Rarely will they live alone. This is in contrast to the females who are solitary except when they have litter. Males and females mix only to mate. As such the female raises her cubs alone.
Biologically engineered for speed
Classic example of nature and adaptation at it’s finest.
The cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world with a top speed of 110km/hr. You think that’s fast? Even 5 month old cheetah cubs can easily outrun almost any other adult carnivore! Though a member of the cat family, it differs in many ways from the big cats like lions, tigers, leopards and panthers which rely on brute strength to hunt and overpower its prey.
Cheetahs rely purely on speed. And to achieve such blinding speed the cheetah has a highly adapted structure. It is the only member of the cat family that has non-retractable claws. This blunts the claws and makes them ineffective for attacking prey, but highly useful in providing traction to the cheetah during the chase. Its heavy tail acts as a rudder and the flexible backbone as a spring. The cheetah’s light, lean frame is attributed to thin bones and during the chase the cheetah is at times completely airborne with none of its paws touching the ground.
All this speed comes at a price, and so to accommodate the increase in oxygen intake, the cheetah has large nasal passages, a large heart and adrenal glands to support high metabolism. The large nasal passages leave precious little space for the cheetah’s small teeth and jaw. As such once the cheetah outruns its prey, it clamps onto the neck and suffocates its victim before consuming it.
Strength vs Speed
The cheetah is very vulnerable once it has captured its prey after a high speed chase. The intense effort expanded leaves the cheetah in exhaustion and if it is to savour the spoils of its victory, it must eat quickly. The slight cheetah is no match for the much bigger, heavier predators like the lions and hyenas. Even a pack of vultures can easily oust the cheetah and steal away the prize.
Cub Mortality
In the wild, cheetah cub mortality rate can reach as high as 90%. The main predators are lions and hyenas. In fact it’s been shown that lions kill cheetah cubs as a matter of course. They don’t eat them, they just kill them. Researchers have yet to find a reason for this phenomenon. And it doesn’t help that the females being the sole parent are forced to leave their cubs in search of food.
And now another fun fact you can take away with you: Ever wondered what the difference is between the leopard and the cheetah? Same colouring, both cats, right?. Well, the cheetah is easily identifiable by its characteristic black "tear mark" running from the inner aspect of each eye down to the mouth. Oh, and the leopard’s much heavier, remember strength vs. speed and agility?
PS: Alright, alright, if you insist: I watched a documentary, found it riveting and decided it was my duty to educate the world!....or maybe just the two of you. Oh, nevermind! Anyway I hope you found it as educational and as much fun as I did. Cheetahs rule!
6 comments:
Ah the wonders of Discovery Channel. :)
this is the most educational thing that i've read all day!
Bran,
I miss Astro...
DM,
Aren't u supposed to be in medical school or smtg? Shld we be worried that you're getting your education somewhere else rather than in school?? ;)
Make your sis get astro...they go really cheap these days and if you need to move you can take the thing with you.
I would, but she doesn't watch tv...only this couch potato does. Heh.
well, look at it this way: they don't teach us about cheetahs in school!;)
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