The Cheetah

cheetah is the world's fastest land animal and the most unique and specialized member of the cat family. It can reach speeds of 70 mph. Unlike other cats, the cheetah has a leaner body, longer legs, and has been referred to as the “greyhound” of the cats. It is not an aggressive animal, using flight versus fight. With its weak jaws and small teeth, the price it paid for speed, it cannot fight larger predators to protect it's kills or young. The cheetah is often mistaken for a leopard. It's distinguishing marks are the long tear-drop shaped lines on each side of the nose from the corner of it's eyes to it's mouth. The cheetah’s coat is tan, or buff colored, with black spots measuring from ¾ to 1 ¼ inches across. There are no spots on it's white belly, and the tail has spots which merge to form four to six dark rings at the end. he tail usually ends in a bushy white tuft. Male cheetahs are slightly larger than females and have a slightly bigger head, but it is difficult to tell males and females apart by appearance alone. The cheetah is a vulnerable species. Out of all the big cats, it is the least able to adapt to new environments. They have always proved difficult to breed in captivity, but recently a few zoos have been successful. Once widely shot for its fur, the cheetah now suffers more from the loss of both habitat and prey. Cheetahs like to live in the open area. Because of their liking for that, they usually are found in the grasslands, desert-like plains, savannahs, and like areas that have tall grass. These are the reasons because they usually are found in some places in Africa. Before, they were found in some parts of India and all over Africa, but now only maybe 20-30% of Africa. It hunts mainly by day. It follows its prey from a distance. It selects old, injured or young animals whose speed will be impaired.The cheetah can be found in open grassland and nearby forests in all parts of Africa, the Middle East, and south-central Asia. The cheetah's favourite prey is the gazelle. It also preys on the impala and the antelope, and other grazing animals. Cheetah are usually carnivores although they might sometimes might eat fruit like watermelon. The medium size animals they eat include:antelope, fawns, gazelle, deer,etc. The smaller animals they eat are, rabbitts, birds, hares, frogs, etc. As I said before they are known to eat fruit like watermelon. Also, their diet includes lizards and eggs.