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Swahili Name: Duma
Scientific Name: Acinonyx jubatus
Size: 30 inches at the shoulder
Weight: 110 to 140 pounds
Lifespan: 10 to 20 years
Habitat: Open plains
Diet: Smaller antelopes
Gestation: 90 to 95 days
Predators: Eagles, humans, hyenas and lions.
Credit: http://www.outtoafrica.nl/animals/engcheetah.html
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BASIC FACTS ABOUT CHEETAHS
The fastest land animal in the world, the cheetah is a marvel of evolution. The cheetah's slender, long-legged body is built for speed. Cheetahs are tan in color with black spots all over their bodies. They can also be distinguished from other big cats by their smaller size, spotted coats, small heads and ears and distinctive "tear stripes" that stretch from the corner of the eye to the side of the nose.
DIET
Cheetahs eat mainly gazelles, wildebeest calves, impalas and smaller hoofed animals.
POPULATION
In 1900, there were over 100,000 cheetahs across their historic range. Today, an estimated 9,000 to 12,000 cheetahs remain in the wild in Africa. In Iran, there are around 200 cheetahs living in small isolated populations.
RANGE
Historically cheetahs were found throughout Africa and Asia from South Africa to India. They are now confined to parts of eastern, central and southwestern Africa and a small portion of Iran.
BEHAVIOR
•Found mostly in open and partially open savannah, cheetahs rely on tall grasses for camouflage when hunting. They are diurnal (more active in the day) animals and hunt mostly during the late morning or early evening. Only half of the chases, which last from 20 - 60 seconds, are successful.
•Cheetahs knock their prey to the ground and kill with a suffocating bite to the neck. They must eat quickly before they lose the kills to other bigger or more aggressive carnivores.
•Cheetahs are also typically solitary animals. While males sometimes live with a small group of brothers from the same litter, females generally raise cubs by themselves for about a year.
REPRODUCTION
Mating Season: Throughout the year.
Gestation: Around 3 months.
Litter size: 2-4 cubs
Credit: http://www.defenders.org/cheetah/basic-facts
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IN MY OWN WORDS
KING CHEETAH
This isn't a subspecies of the cheetah, it is actually a genetic mutation found in very few of the wild cheetahs. It is simpy larger marking, a smaller yet stocker body and three fat stripes down the back. Besides that, they are normal, yet very rare.
