Discover fascinating facts about cheetahs, the fastest land animal on earth! From their incredible speed and unique hunting strategy to their social behaviour and distinctive markings, learn all about these amazing big cats. Read on to find out more about cheetahs and why they are classified as a vulnerable species, and explore their ancient connection to Egyptian royalty.
The word “cheetah” ultimately comes from the Sanskrit word (“Chita”) -िचत, which means “spotted one” or even multi-coloured, bright.
- 1. The Cheetah Is the Oldest Cat on Earth.
- 2. Cheetahs Don’t Roar
- 3. Cheetahs can survive for 10 days without water.
- 4. Cheetahs have built-in “sunglasses”
- 5. They Have Natural Camouflage
- 6. Cheetahs use their tails to steer while running
- 7. Cheetahs Like to Hunt at Dusk and Dawn
- 8. Their Social Life Is a Mixed Bag
- 3. BEING A PREDATOR ISN’T EASY
- 10. Cheetahs are not good climbers
1. The Cheetah Is the Oldest Cat on Earth.
Cheetahs are the original household feline companion.
For thousands of years, cheetahs have made grand “house” pets. Historically, emperors, kings, and pharaohs kept them as a sign of wealth. Their history with humans can be dated as far back as 32000 BCE. Because cheetahs could not easily breed in captivity, individuals were taken from the wild.
Because cheetahs do not breed easily in captivity, individuals were often taken from the wild and kept in captivity. This practice has contributed to the decline of wild cheetah populations, as capturing wild individuals can disrupt natural breeding patterns and lead to inbreeding.
2. Cheetahs Don’t Roar
There’s nothing scary about the noises a cheetah makes. Unlike lions, which are known for their ferocious roars, cheetahs sound more like your average house cat. They meow and purr. They also make chirps and churring sounds. Listen to some of the chatty cheetahs from the Toronto Zoo.
There are four big cats that roar: lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars. They are able to make intimidating noises because they have a ligament instead of the epihyal bone in the voice box. The ligament stretches, creating lower sounds. Cheetahs have a fixed voice box with divided vocal cords. Like “small cats,” it allows them to purr but limits the noises they can make.
3. Cheetahs can survive for 10 days without water.
Having adapted to a dry environment, cheetahs can easily go four days without water and survive up to 10 days without it. This doesn’t mean that they don’t get any liquids at all. As it turns out, cheetahs will draw water from the animals they hunt, kill, and eat.
Speaking of water, cheetahs can swim, but they usually avoid getting in the water. They may be forced to when crossing a river, but they seem to dislike it as much as most domestic cats.
4. Cheetahs have built-in “sunglasses”
Much like the Cheetos mascot, Cheetahs have natural sunglasses that protect their eyes. This comes in the form of two black lines running from their eyes to their mouth. How’s that for amazing cheetah facts?
Cheetahs have long, black lines that run down their face from their eyes to their mouth, called “malar stripes” or “malar marks. Malar marks are an adaptation for deflecting the brightest sunlight off the horizon or the wide-open savannas, allowing them to see better in the daylight. They help the cheetah focus on their prey when they are hunting.
5. They Have Natural Camouflage
Cheetahs have a unique pattern of black spots on their fur, which helps them to blend in with their environment. These spots are not just on their fur, but also on their skin, which means that even if they lose their fur, their spots will remain. No two cheetahs have the same pattern of spots, making them even more distinctive.
The pattern of spots on a cheetah’s fur is a form of camouflage that helps them to blend in with their surroundings. When they are hunting, they can use their spots to hide in the tall grass and stalk their prey without being noticed.
The Cheetah Conservation Fund explains that the mantle makes cubs look like honey badgers and helps them blend into the tall grass. This camouflage protects them from predators like hyenas and lions.
6. Cheetahs use their tails to steer while running
Prey has little chance of outrunning a cheetah in a straight line. Therefore, they change direction often, twisting, turning and jumping to make their getaway.
While most cats have round, fluffy tails like your house cat, the cheetah tail actually has a flat surface, like a rudder. It helps the cheetah to perform sharp turns at high speed. By swinging the tail from side to side, it acts as a counterbalance, allowing the cheetah to control its steering and keep its balance.
This helps them manoeuvre swiftly during sharp turns even at high speeds. Definitely one of many facts about cheetahs that show how special their body structure is.
7. Cheetahs Like to Hunt at Dusk and Dawn
Cheetahs are considered crepuscular hunters, meaning they hunt at dawn and dusk.
Most often cheetahs can be found hunting between 6:00 and 10:00 in the morning and 4:00 and 6:00 in the evening. Cheetahs are active during the daytime mainly because when you hunt by sight and speed, you need to be able to see well to do it.
In some regions, cheetahs are active at night, especially during the extra light of a full moon. Some cheetahs have even become night specialists. So the hard-and-fast rules we humans try to place on them don’t always hold true.
8. Their Social Life Is a Mixed Bag
Except for lions, which live in groups called pride, most big cats are relatively solitary animals. They prefer to be on their own except when mating or raising their young. Cheetahs are “neither solitary nor social but are a little of both”.
While cheetahs are generally solitary animals, they do have a unique social structure. Female cheetahs are often found living and hunting with their cubs, and sometimes form small groups with other females. These groups are usually made up of related females, such as sisters or mothers and daughters.
Male cheetahs, on the other hand, are usually found living alone and will only come together with other cheetahs during mating season. This is because male cheetahs are very territorial and will fight fiercely with other males to defend their territory.
3. BEING A PREDATOR ISN’T EASY
Cheetahs hunt a wide variety of prey, mainly small to mid-sized ungulates, which include springbok, duiker, gazelle, kob and impala. But they can also prey on ground-dwelling birds and small mammals such as hares.
Male cheetahs are known to form coalitions for territorial protection and hunt much larger prey, such as wildebeest, kudu or eland.
Unlike other African predators, cheetahs rarely scavenge. They are also known to eat quickly and abandon their kills once other predators are spotted, especially in areas with high densities of large carnivores—around 10% of cheetah kills end up being stolen, mostly by lions and spotted hyenas. This could explain why cheetahs prefer to hunt during the day when other predators are least active.
10. Cheetahs are not good climbers
Despite their incredible speed and agility on the ground, cheetahs are not good climbers. They have long, slender legs that are designed for running, not climbing. Their claws are also not as sharp or as curved as those of other big cats, making it difficult for them to climb trees or rocks.
While cheetahs are not good climbers, they are excellent sprinters and hunters. Their speed and agility on the ground make them one of the most unique and fascinating predators in the animal kingdom.Cheetahs are incredible animals that have captured the imagination of people for centuries. Their speed, agility, and unique hunting strategy make them one of the most fascinating predators in the animal kingdom. From their distinctive black spots to their flexible spine and keen sense of sight, cheetahs are truly one of a kind. However, their population is declining due to human-wildlife conflict, habitat loss, and poaching, making it more important than ever to protect these incredible animals and ensure their survival for future generations.