Sunday 21 November 2010

CHEETAH



The cheetah is a magnificent cat, it is the fastest of all land mammals, sprinting at up 95km/h after its prey.It is no match for a gun or the racing sea. Cheetahs had the most unusual lifestyle in  3000BC because they were trained by man for hunting, another odd thing was they competed against grey hounds in Harringay, London. The funny thing is, cheetahs can reach their top speed in about 3 seconds.

SIZES: Length: Head and body 130-150cm, tail 60-80cm. Weight: 45-60kg. BREEDING: Sexual maturity: 20-24 months. Mating season: Throughout the year. Gestation: 90-95 days. Litter size: up to 8 cubs, usually 2-5. LIFESTYLE: Habit: Female solitary, male lives in small groups. Diet: Various species of antelope, Also hares, rodents and sometimes larger prey such a zebra. Lifespan: About 12 years in the wild, more in captivity. RELATED SPECIES: An endangered subspecies of the cheetahs, Acrinonyx jubatus venaticus, lives in Asia.

HOW THE CHEETAH CATCHES ITS PREY:
1. When stalking a single prey the cheetah emerges from cover in order to startle the animal into running. Other big cats, such as lions, use attacks that combine surprise, ambush and hunting in a pack.
2. The cheetah follows at high speed, usually catching up with its prey within about a minute. It leaps up and brings down the prey with its forepaws.
3. The cheetah suffocates its prey by closing its jaws on the animal's windpipe. It may then drag the carcase to a safe place to be eaten, away from other Savannah predators.

1 comment:

  1. It is not easy to look at this, but it's how nature work.

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