Cheetahs - Wonderful Creatures!

When I was growing up I had stuffed animals everywhere in my room, I practically adored my tiger and cheetah stuffed animals I had. This might be kind of ironic but I’m not a cat person at all even though I am fascinated with the bigger cats like cheetahs, tigers, lions. Today I’m going to talk about my cheetah stuffed animal. Just kidding, I’m going to inform you about cheetahs.

Cheetahs are actually considered the most vulnerable of the cat family, due to the fact they are very poor tree climbers. They however are the fastest of all land animals, having the ability to reach speeds of up to 68 mph. They can reach this speed in three seconds, a lot faster than my Corvette can. The only down fall to this is they can only maintain this speed for short distances - up to 500 yards.

Adult cheetahs usually weigh anywhere from 90 to 140 pounds with a length of 45 to 55 inches long, excluding the tail. Their tail can measure up to 33 inches in length. As with most animal species, the males tend to be slightly larger than the females and will sometimes have slightly bigger heads. However, there is rarely a variation in the size of cheetahs, so it is hard to tell if one is a female or a male comparing appearances only.

Cheetahs are truly remarkable creatures. The reason they can run as fast as they do is due to their larger nostrils, which naturally allow them to take in more oxygen. Their enlarged heart and lungs also help. When a cheetah is running or is in the middle of a chase, they take in 150 breaths per minute, much higher than their normal 60 breaths per minute when not active. Another key feature that helps with their speed is their semi retractable claws, which give them great traction. Also, you can’t forget that long tail, which is used like a steering wheel because it helps them make those sharp turns when chasing prey.

The female cheetah reaches sexual maturity at 20 to 24 months, where as the male reaches maturity at 12 months, but they usually don’t mate until they are 3 years old. They will mate all through the year and the female will have several mating partners. Females can give birth to up to 9 cubs after a gestation period of 90 to 98 days. However, on average they have 3 to 5 cubs a litter.

Unlike some other cats, cheetahs are born with their spots and unfortunately nearly 90% of them are killed in the first few weeks of their life. The cubs will leave their mother between 13 and 20 months old. They go on to form a sib group for another six months after separation from their mother. Afterwards, the sisters leave their brothers and go off on their own. Male cheetahs remain together for life, where as females live solitude lives except when raising cubs. The cheetah usually lives up to 12 years in the wild and 20 in captivity.

Well I hope you enjoyed learning about that cheetah stuffed animal you might have had as a child or that your child might have now. The next time your child asks you how can a cheetah run so fast, now you know. :-)

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheetah