The Cheetah
Africa’s Most Endangered Cat
The 5th of December marks International Cheetah Day. However, the day is not one of celebration but rather awareness. Over the past 100 years, we have lost 90% of the cheetah population.
These agile cats are the fastest land mammals in the world, and it breaks our hearts to say they are racing against extinction.
Here is everything you need to know about these magnificent creatures, including how you can help with their conservation.
Speed
The cheetah is so fast that it has on multiple occasions, in a bid by advertisers to be creative, been featured in car advertisements as a point of comparison. The cheetah can reach a top speed of 60 to 110km per hour (40 to 70 miles). However, these speeds are only reached during short bursts – the cheetah is more about the sprint than the marathon.
What’s even more incredible is that the cheetah takes only 3 seconds to reach this speed. Once running at full speed, the cheetah’s feet will only touch the ground twice during each stride. Each stride is a whopping 6 to 7 metres (19 to 23 feet) in length.
The cheetah is designed for speed. Its tail is long, muscular and flat so as to work like a rudder – this allows the cheetah to keep its balance and easily change direction without losing speed when running. They are also extremely light and slender – weighing between 28 and 65 kilograms. They also have a disproportionately large heart, lungs and nasal passages for superior respiratory and circulatory function. Its claws are also non-retractable which contributes to its great speed.
Where You Can See Them
The cheetah prefers open grassland, dense vegetation and savannah. This open terrain better supports its hunting as it is easier for running.
The cheetah once roamed throughout Africa and much of Asia. However, it is now found predominantly only in 6 countries in southern Africa: South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Surprisingly, the semi-desert Namibia is home to the largest cheetah population with approximately 3000 cats.
Social Structure
Male cheetahs, usually brothers, often live in groups of two to three, known as coalitions. Female cheetahs are solitary, except when rearing a litter. They only come into contact with other cheetahs when looking for a mate.
The cheetah does not roar but rather communicates through purrs, bleats, hisses, barks and high-pitched chirping sounds.
Unlike many animals, the cheetah does not have a specific breeding season. This means that you have the chance to spot a cheetah cub throughout the year. The average litter has three to eight cubs. Cheetah cubs are born with an (adorable) furry mohawk that runs from their neck to the base of the spine. This mantle is meant to make the cheetah cub look like a honey badger so as to protect them from threats such as lions or hyenas.
Predators & Prey
Unlike lions, the cheetah targets smaller prey, like springbok, Thomson’s gazelle and duiker. On average, the cheetah eats 3 to 4kg (6 to 8 pounds) of food a day.
The cheetah does not have any predators. Cheetah cubs, however, have a high mortality rate, often being killed by other predators – hence the honey badger disguise we mentioned earlier. The cheetah does face threats from other animals in terms of its prey – its kills are often stolen by other predators, like lions, hyenas or wild dogs.
Cheetah vs. Leopard
The cheetah is often confused for the leopard, Africa’s other spotted cat and member of the Big Five. Here are the main differences to help make the distinction clearer.
- The cheetah has distinctive ‘tear marks’ that streak from the inner corner of their eye down their cheeks. The leopard does not have these markings.
- The cheetah and the leopard are distinctively different in body size – the cheetah is slim and agile while the leopard is stockier and more muscular.
- The cheetah is diurnal (active during the day), whereas the leopard is nocturnal, so you are more likely to see it at night.
- The cheetah prefers to stay on the ground. The leopard is often spotted napping in trees.
- The cheetah hunts by chasing its prey and bringing it down. The leopard uses the stalk and pounce hunting method.
Making a Contribution
Endangered Status
The cheetah is the most endangered of all the African cats, with less than 7100 remaining in the wild. They are listed as ‘vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List with a decreasing population.
There are three main things threatening their survival.
- The first is that humans have encroached on their natural habitat through the establishment of farms and the building of roads and railroads. Farmers have shot cheetahs as a result of paranoia regarding their livestock, despite the fact that cheetahs rarely hunt domesticated animals.
- The cheetah has also been a victim of poaching for their coats. Another issue is that of its prey being hunted by humans, resulting in the cheetah having nothing to lie off.
- The illegal pet trade is also a massive threat to the cheetah. They are considered the easiest of the exotic cats to tame and have been kept as pets dating back 5000 years. There is still a high demand for cheetah cubs as pets, especially in the Middle East.
How You Can Help
There are a number of organisations working towards cheetah conservation. The Cheetah Conservation Fund has a holistic approach to saving the cheetah – working to develop best practices that benefit the cheetah, its habitat and the communities sharing it.
How can I get involved?
- Raise awareness about the cheetah through social media.
- Celebrate International Cheetah Day next year by purchasing a “Save the Cheetah” t-shirt from https://www.bonfire.com/store/cheetah-conservation-fund/
- Make a donation or sponsor a cheetah.
- Volunteer or intern with one of the conservation programmes.
