Cheetah

 

Cheetah is a member of the feline family and is known to run faster than other mammals. Today, the majority of the species lives in Southern and Eastern Africa. A very small community also lives in the Khorasan region of Iran. Hunting cheetahs are seen in miniatures depicting hunting scenes of 15th, 16th and 17th centuries Sultans. He has spots on his body and black lines that go from under his eyes to his mouth and chin. These lines attract the sun's rays and thus, unlike other predators, they can hunt with a more comfortable sight even in the hottest hours of the day. It is the fastest running land animal in the world. Its name comes from the Sanskrit word "Chitraka" meaning spotted.

It is an animal that hunts by taking advantage of its high speed, instead of hunting in packs or hiding like lions. It can accelerate from zero to 108 km/h in just 3.1 seconds. When he runs more than 460 meters, his body temperature rises above 46 degrees, which can damage the cheetah's brain. That's why its run while hunting is usually less than a minute. Experts consider that there are less than 10,000 wild cheetahs in the world.


Female cheetahs reach puberty at the age of twenty to twenty-four months. Male cheetahs, on the other hand, reach this stage at the age of twelve months. In contrast, sexual intercourse rarely occurs before the age of three. The mortality rate in cheetah cubs is 90%. They are often attacked by hyenas and eagles. Cubs are usually separated from their mothers at 13-20 months of age. Although cheetahs can live longer than 20 years, they often live shorter because of their speed, which decreases with age.


Although cheetahs run fast, they only succeed in half of their hunting attempts. Cheetahs owe their fast running ability to their light, thin bones. For this reason, it has been seen that while cheetahs eat their prey in one place, if predators such as lions and hyenas come, they withdraw from that area and leave their prey there. Because hyenas have very strong jaws. The thin bones of the cheetah are more vulnerable to strong jaws. One of the reasons cheetahs run fast is because their tails are long. For cheetahs, the tail also helps during running. Cheetahs prey on herbivores such as gazelles and impalas. However, gazelles and impalas are the fastest maneuvering animals in the world. Despite their high speed, cheetahs can make sharp turns by using their tails as a rudder. When cheetahs reach maximum speed, the distance between each step can reach about 15 meters. These long strides are a factor that gives them speed.