Wild Cheetah Research Paper

Cheetahs are a part of the big cat family although they do not roar like the other cats, they purr. Cheetahs are slim with long skinny legs and a long tale heavy tail. They have a small round head on a long neck.

Even though they have a pale yellow color they have a white belly. Their fur is covered in thousands of black spots. They have black lines that run down their face from the eyes to the corners of their mouth.

These lines help reflect the sunlight. Nearly all wild cheetahs can be found roaming the sub-saharan desert in Africa. They roam openly in the grassy plains and open forests. They use the tall grasses to help camouflage themselves as the hunt. Cheetahs are the smaller of the big cat family weighing up to 185lbs as an adult, with

These short sprints only last about 20 seconds and hardly ever reach a minute. The cheetah can reach a speed of 45- 65 mph. in a couple of seconds, although that depends on the size of the cheetah. Cheetahs have a spring like spine that give their long legs more reach to make them run faster. They have non-retractable claws and special pads on their feet for traction. The long heavy tail helps the cheetah balance and make sharp turns when chasing their prey. Cheetahs have quick reflexes that help them while hunting. A cheetah has poor night vision compared to other big cats. This causes challenges for the cheetah.

They hunt during early morning or early evening when the sun is low or the heat would be a problem for them. While chasing its prey, the cheetah is normally panting heavily and their body temperature can reach a 105 degrees during the chase.This is also why they can only run short sprints.

Cheetahs are carnivores which means their primary food is meat.

The cheetahs stick to smaller prey like gazelles, hares, young wildebeests, warthogs and some birds. A cheetah will usually hunt alone unless 2 cheetahs attack a prey much larger than themselves.