If you’re a lover of animals, cats or knowledge then you’ll love these interesting facts about the adorable speedy big cat, the cheetah.
- The Latin name for the cheetah is Acinonyx jubatus.
- They generally inhabit Africa and the Middle East.
- The name ‘cheetah’ comes from Sanskrit word ‘variegated’.
- A cheetah can weigh up to 160 lbs.
- Including their tail, they can measure up to 92 inches.
- Their spots can be up to 1.5in in diameter.
- The black ‘tear tracks’ that line a cheetah’s face prevent the sun from infiltrating and blinding the animal whilst hunting.
- A cheetah has semi-retractable claws, like the Fishing Cat, Flat-Headed Cat and the Iriomote Cat.
- The King cheetah had distinctive black stripes, as well as spots. This cat is now extinct.
- The spots of a cheetah are used for camouflage.
- During chase, the cheetah can take up to 150 breaths per minute.
- It can reach up to 62 miles per hour in five seconds.
- A normal chase speed for a cheetah is 60-65 miles per hour.
- During a chase, they can run up to 1,600 feet in short bursts.
- The tail is used as a rudder for steering whilst chasing.
- Interestingly the cheetah cannot roar. In fact, it purrs.
- It is considered to be the smallest of the big cats.
- It is the least able to adapt to its environments.
- A male matures at 12 months, whilst the female matures at 24.
- There can be up to nine cubs in a litter.
- The distinctive fluff of the cubs is a mantle, and gives them the appearance of having Mohawks.
- A cheetah can live up to twelve years in the wild, and twenty in captivity.
- A male cheetah is social able, and is often seen in small groups.
- Whilst social able, the males can be extremely territorial and urinate on plants and trees to mark their land.
- A female cheetah tends to roam and they form home ranges, which tend to overlap with other lands.
- Cheetahs eat a variety of gazelles as well as impala and springbox.
- The cheetah prefers to hunt early morning or late at night, when it is not so hot.
- During the chase for prey, a cheetah trips its meal and suffocates it.
- If a mother takes her cubs with her during the hunt, she will hide them in the thick underbrush for safety.
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A cheetah has different purrs for different times:
- The chirp is used when they try to locate more of their species. In documentaries, this is often seen when the cubs call out to their mothers.
- Churring or stuttering is used to greet others, or invite the opposite gender into mating.
- Growling is used when the creature feels that it is in danger.
- Yowling is a higher pitch of growling, often heard when danger increases.
- Purring is used when they feel content, usually seen with the mothers and cubs.
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Written By Zoe Adams
Zoe Adams is professional blogger and freelance writer with five short story acceptances, with multiple companies. Her latest achievement was graduating for a BA (Hons) in Professional Writing.


