About Cheetahs And Cheetahs Facts

 Link: About Cheetahs • Cheetah Facts • Cheetah Conservation Fund •

Cheetahs.

About Cheetahs

The Cheetah’s Wild Life

There are three stages in the life cycle of the cheetah : cub ( birth to 18 months ) , adolescence ( 18 to 24 months ) and adult life ( 24 months and on ) . So cheetahs gets to adult in only 2 years or 24 months wow.

The gestation ( pregnancy ) period for the cheetah is 93 days , and litters in size from one or two up to six cubs ( the occasional litter of eight cubs has been recorded , but it is rare ) . 8 Cubs at the same time that is really rare . Cub mortality is higher in protected areas like national parks and wildlife reserves where proximity to large predators is greater than in non protected areas . in such areas , the cheetah cub mortality can be as hhigh as 90% . and 90% is insane so only around a 10 % of it dying which is very good in this case.

Adult life for a cheetah in the wild is difficult. Because theres a lot of predators out there coming for them. Cheetahs in the wild ( both male and female combined ) have an average age span of 10 – 12 years. And that’s better than average because the average life spawn of an adult male in  the wild skews lower to only ( 8 years ) because in part to territorial conflicts with competing groups of males. And that’s insane because 12 years and 8 years that’s 33% less which is crazy. Adult mortality is one of the most significant limiting factors for the growth and survival of the wild cheetah population. Wow, most of the cheetahs in the wild are adults instead of children, which isn’t that surprising but wow.

Physical Characteristics of Adult Cheetahs

Adult cheetah’s weight averages between 75 to 125 pounds . They can measure from 40 to 60 inches in length measured from the head to hind quarters. Wow 75 to 125 pounds wasn’t as much as I was thinking and 40 to 60 inches is only around 3.5 feet to 5 feet which Isnt that much for me. The tail can add a further 24 to 32 inches of bringing the total overall length up 7.5 feet. Wow that is crazy so that just added like another 2.5 feet or 3 feets wow that is a lot. On average , cheetahs stand 28  to 36 inches tall at the shoulder. So around 3 feet tall legs and that’s pretty good.

The cheetah is a sexually dimorphic species though it is difficult to identify the cheetah’s sex by appearance alone. Male cheetahs are slightly bigger than females and they have larger heads, but they do not display the same degree of physical difference between the sexes of other cat species like lions. So that’s a good way of identify of which sex a cheetah is saying you can tell by eyes and vision but seeing which one is slightly bigger but like what happens if the female is bigger than the male? LOL I guess we will never know.

Cheetahs have a thin frame wit a narrow waist and deep chest. They have large nostrils that allow for increased oxygen intake. Cheetahs have large lung and hearts connected to a circulatory system with strong arteries and adrenals that work in tandem to circulate oxygen through their blood very efficiently. I have no idea what they mean by the last part but man im not really surprised cheetahs have giant lungs and giant deep chests and big fat nostrils for air intake.

With its long legs and very slender body, Like slender man?? The cheetah is quite different from all other cats and is the only member of its genus, , Acinonyx. The cheetah’s unique morphology and physiology allow it to attain the extreme speeds for what its famous. Yeah so that’s all I know about the cheetah to be honest and speed is a very big part for the cheetah because its what they use to escape and capture predators.

Markings

The cheetah’s undercoat ranges in colour from light tan to a deep gold and is marked by solid black spots. Wow cheetahs can have their own skin colour or skin fur colour. That’s pretty cool. These spots are not open like rosettes found on a leopard or jaguar’s coat. So the spots you can identify it’s a cheetah and not a jaguar or other animals? Well that’s one way  to identify a animal in the wild. Which is one way to quickly identify the cheetah.

Distinctive black tear stripes run from eyes to the mouth. Just like a car when they get paint job to look fast. The stripes are thought to protect the eyes for the sun’s glare. Wow never heard of it that is very impressive. It is believed that they have  the same function as a sniper rifle scope, helping cheetahs focus on their prey at a long distance range by minimizing the glare of the sun. What are you telling that a cheetah is now a sniper rifle which can shoot from far ranges? That’s one way to find your predators and catch them that is very impressive of the cheetahs lol.

Cheetah tails end with a bushy tuft encircled by five or six dark rings. Are we playing sonic dark version now with dark rings? These marking provide them with excellent camouflage while hunting and make them more difficult for other predators to detect. Very nice you can now hide from your predators and catch them just like the sniper rifle thing which cheetah uses to catch their food. The tail is also thought to be a signalling device, helping young cubs follow their mother in tall grass. The tip of the tail varies in colour from white to black among individuals. At least the cubs wont get lost in the supermarket with their mother and I think that’s very smart to use the tail to navigate your babies threw tall grass so they wont get lost in the tall grass. Big brain moment.

Built for Speed

Now we are going to the main point of the cheetah and why they are so famous for their speed. The cheetah is the world’s fastest land animal and Africa’s most endangered big cat. What in Africa your telling me that a cheetah can be a pet cat. That’s a massive cat it probably takes up your entire bed to sleep on. Uniquely adapted for speed, the cheetah is capable of reaching speeds greater than 110 kilometers per hour in just over three second. At the top speed, their stride is seven meters long. Wow 110 kph is just 3 seconds? Put them in the car 0 – 100 book that’s a world record. That insane speed and probably faster than my dads car. The cheetah’s unique body structure: flexible spine, semi-retractable claws, long legs, and tail allow it to achieve the unbelievable top speed of 110 kph or 70 mph if your American. By the cheetah having claws which can go in and out and long legs and with speeds like that just call it a superhero car basically. The cheetah’s body is narrow and lightweight with long slender limbs. Specialized muscles allow for a greater swing to limbs increasing acceleration. Wow that is very cool and very scary. I thought cheetahs were heavy ( not that they aren’t heavy they are still very heavy ) I wouldn’t expect the with lightweight stuff inside them and with long legs isn’t surprising like lions and panther but saying it can go like double their speed is insane.

Cheetah’s foot pads are hard and less rounded than the other cats. Off course the cheetahs and like its part of the cat stuff, But like I think its pretty obvious the cheetah is very different to a cat and in size comparison, I think we can see a difference in obvious states. The pads function like tire treads providing them with increased traction in fast, sharp turns. The short blunt claws, which are considered semi-retractable,  are closer to that of a dog than of other cats. Wait your telling me a dog is closer about being a cheetah than its own kind of cat? I am so confused please someone explain this to me I don’t understand. The claws work like the cleats of a track shoe to grip the ground for traction when running to help increase speed. Just like a human using shoes to go faster and more grip on a running competition or a marathon which is pretty good comparison to a cheetah and a human just that humans goes 2x slower than a cheetah because cheetah’s have stuff in their body humans don’t have and ways to go faster that human don’t have like tail long body long legs and 4 legs and no arms I think I’m not sure.

Now we are going to be talking about its Fast speeds and Flexible.

The flexibility of the cheetah’s spine is unique. Probably because it can turn super fast for it to reach 110 kph. The cheetah’s long muscular tail works like a rudder, stabilizing and acting as a counterbalance to its body weight. Pretty smart, so you can control yourself very fast in very fast turns in the forest or catch their food. Swinging the tail back and forth continually adjusting to the movement of prey allows for sudden sharp turns during high speed chases. The cheetah can be a car in a high speed police car chase. The cheetah’s shoulder blade does not attach to the collar bone, thus allowing the shoulders to move freely. Very nice to be able to move your shoulders freely and go very fast. Probably a good animal to be if your going to become a animal in the wild or in the zoo.

The hips pivot to allow the rear legs to stretch far apart when the body is fully extended. So they can stretch their legs very far seems good if they just woke up to stretch out their muscles. The hip and shoulder extension allows for a large range of extension during running, thus making both its exceptional stride length. The length between their steps is six to seven meters ( 21 ft ), and four strides are completed per second. 21 feet? That’s very long step I can only move my leg like 1 meter which is like 3 feet and they can do like 7 times more than what I can do like 7 meters they can do or 21 feet good for them to be honest. There are two times in one stride when the cheetah’s body is completely off the ground: once when all four legs are extended and once when all four legs are bunched under the body. But for what for? Why they extend their legs and once when all four legs they bunched under the body? Like why do they do that is it for to slow them down and be able to go slower and not risk smashing into a tree or their predator? If so that’s a good idea.

We are going to be talking about the babies of the cheetah now which you can cheetah cubs.

At birth, the cubs weigh 8.5 to 15 ounces and are blind and helpless. Yu what the babies are borned blind and helpless well I’m not surprised about the 2^nd part saying that cats babies need their mother help. But Why Their mother will groom them patiently, purring quietly and providing them warmth and security. After a day or so, the mother will leave the cubs to hunt for herself, so she can continue to care for the cubs. Very good mother taking care of her cubs and hunting food for their cubs. This is the most vulnerable time for the cubs, as they are left unprotected. Oh, that’s bad hopefully, they will be safe while being away from their babies, and its probably a small likelihood that their babies will get find if they put them in a very hidden area, so that’s very good of them to do and take care of their cubs while away to get food and stuff for them. They will live in a secluded nest until they are about six to eight weeks old, being regularly moved by their mother from nest to nest to avoid predator detection. The mother will care for her cubs on her own for the next year and a half. 1 year and a half that’s very good for them and the cubs so that they can grow up and become adults and parents and able to hunt for themselves and that’s very nice just like a human taking care of their baby just that instead of 1 year and half they take care of them for lifetime or 20 years or something.

 

 

At like 6 weeks of age

The cubs begin following their mother on her daily travels as she seeks prey. So then the cubs don’t have a chance or a risk of getting eaten by another predator she is trying to give her cubs an exploration around the area so they can remember where their home is. During these first few months, she cannot move far or fast, and cub mortality is highest. Fewer than one in 10 cubs will survive during this time, as they perish from predation by other large predators such as lions and hyenas or injuries.  Wow only 10 cheetah cubs are left at this stage that is very little and with them not being able to move much at this time they are very much in danger. This is the time when life skills are taught. Good time to learn life skills for the cubs so then they can defend themselves in the future when they are becoming an adult in their life so then they aren’t that easy to find and eat by the predators that they are trying to find and eat.

Cheetah cubs have a thick silvery-grey mantle down their back. So they have different stripes than adults? So, do they change colours by the time they get older or do they have different types of cheetahs? The mantle helps camouflage the cubs by imitating the look of an aggressive animal called a honey badger. This mimicry may help deter predators such as lions, hyenas, and eagles from attempting to kill them. Cubs lose their mantle at about three months of age. Alright, so I was correct about that when they get older, they change their stripes, but I  didn’t expect them to get rid of it and then grow a new one when they reach adulthood, but that’s pretty cool from grey to now black stripes.

Around four to six months of age

Cheetah cubs are very active and playful. Like babies, when they can start walking and crawling, they will be going everywhere and walking like a cheetah’s cubs when they become four to six months of age. Trees provide good observation points and allow for the development of skills in balancing. The cubs’ semi-non-retractable claws are sharper at this age and help them grip the tall ‘ play trees ’ they climb with their siblings. Learning to hunt is the most critical survival skill that the cubs will develop. At one year of age, cheetah cubs participate in hunts with their mother. Nice so they now can go with their mother and not just come with them but also hunt with their mother and be able to eat with them that’s very nice and very good for them to explore the outside of their home to be able to navigate where their mother is and its very good for them.

At about 18 months of age

The mother and cubs will finally separate. Wow, at just 1 year and half a year, the cubs and mother will separate and not be together, and the cubs, which are now adults, will hunt for themselves, and I don’t know why they don’t stick together, or that add a bigger target to them if 1 of them just hunt by themselves. Although not fully adept at hunting on their own, independent male and female cubs will stick together for a few more months to master their hunting skills. Ah, so they are still learning by themselves, but at least they know a lot more than what they learned before, and they can be with other cheetahs and be able to do what their mother and it’s like generations.  When adolescent females begin cycling, dominant males will court them and drive their brothers away. Wow, so when they get older, they go away from their brothers and go alone without any mother or brothers. I don’t understand why they don’t go together or is it not efficient and not enough to find if they are together? I don’t know, but that’s what I think. Well, I typed a lot I will do the rest probably tomorrow ok, bye, see you tomorrow.