# Wikijunior:Big Cats/Cheetah

\_\_NOTOC\_\_ !Two cheetahs
together.{width="250"}
**Cheetahs** are built for speed, with a whip-like spine, long legs, and
a long tail that acts as a rudder for sudden turns. They are the
world\'s fastest land animal (but the world's fastest animal is a bird
called a peregrine falcon). The cheetah can chase its prey for 274
meters (almost a sixth of a mile) at the speed of 114 kilometers (almost
71 miles per hour) per hour. Both the male and the female of the species
are referred to as \"cheetahs,\" unlike in the case of many other
animals. Cheetahs can generally live up to seven years.

## Where do cheetahs live?

!Places where cheetahs live are colored
green.
Today, most cheetahs are found in sub-Saharan Africa, though a few are
still seen in Iran. In the past, they used to be found throughout
northern India and Iran. They prefer to live in semi-deserts, savanna,
prairies, and thick brush. As they rely upon speed to hunt, they avoid
dense forests. Conservation efforts are required in order to avoid the
cheetah becoming an entry on the endangered species list. In India, the
forests in which many cheetahs live are not secured and they can leave
the forests and travel into cities or villages. In the last two or three
years, cheetahs have been found in these urban areas.

## What do cheetahs look like?

!Cheetahs used as hunters, Persia, early
1560s

Cheetahs are rather dog-like, medium-sized spotted cats with long legs
and slender, but muscular, bodies. They have a white belly, and a dark
stripe that looks like a tear on both sides of their faces. In contrast
to leopards, which have palmette shaped spots, cheetahs have round dark
spots on their fur. Adult cheetahs weigh from 40 to 65 kilograms (90 to
140 pounds), and are around 112 to 135 centimeters (four to five feet)
in length. Cheetahs are built to do what they do: *run*! Their long tail
provides them with balance. They have a big chest, a narrow waist, and
powerful muscles in their hind legs. They have small heads and muzzles;
large nostrils for increased oxygen intake; and small, round ears. All
of this makes the cheetah very sleek and aerodynamic when it runs.

## What do they eat, and how do they catch their prey?

Cheetahs mostly eat mammals like gazelles, impala, gnu calves, and
hares, which are all about the same size as, or smaller than an adult
cheetah.

Cheetahs stalk their prey until they are within about thirty meters, and
then give chase. The chase is usually over in less than a minute, and if
the cheetah doesn\'t catch its prey quickly, it will often give up
rather than waste energy. This is because cheetahs use a lot of energy
when chasing prey at such high speed. They are very fast runners due to
the build of their legs and about half of the chases are successful.

Cheetahs must eat their catch quickly or risk losing their food to other
stronger predators. They will not usually fight with a larger animal
over food as risking an injury would mean certain starvation.

Cheetahs are well-adapted to living in arid environments. In the
Kalahari desert, they have been estimated to travel an average of 82
kilometers (51 miles) between drinks of water. They have been seen
getting their water from the blood or urine of their prey or by eating
Tsamma melons.

## Fun facts

See how much you know about the world\'s fastest land mammal:

-   After running at full speed, a cheetah must rest at least 15 minutes
    before running again.
-   Cheetahs do not roar, but they make a number of very un-catlike
    sounds, many of which resemble bird chirps.
-   Cheetah sounds include purrs, bleats, barks, growls, hisses and
    chirps but the chirp can be heard at a distance of a mile away (more
    than 1.5 kilometers)!
-   Cheetahs were called leopards before leopards were! Earlier the word
    for Cheetah was \"leopard\", and the word for leopard was simply
    \"pard\". Cheetahs were called leo-pards then as a mix between
    \"leo\", Latin for lion, and \"pard\", then the name of leopards.
-   Apart from pumas, cheetahs
    are the only big cats that purr.
-   Many cheetah cubs are killed by a lack of food or their natural
    enemies: lions, leopards, and hyenas. An old African legend says the
    tear stain marks on the cheetah\'s face are from the mother weeping
    for her lost cubs.
-   Cheetahs do not usually eat the skin or bones of their prey.
-   Hyenas, leopards, and lions steal the cheetah\'s prey after the
    cheetah has killed it.

## For more information

-    Wikipedia: Cheetah

Pumas

ca:Viquijúnior:Grans
felins/Guepard
de:Wikijunior Großkatzen/
Gepard fr:Wikijunior:Les
félins/Les guépards
it:Wikijunior_Grandi_felini/Ghepardo

