Cheetah

A cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a medium large cat which lives in Africa and Asia. It is the fastest land animal and can run up to , and accelerate from 0 to  in less than 3 seconds. Most cheetahs live in the savannas of Africa. There are a few in Iran. Cheetahs are active during the day, and hunt in the early morning or late evening.

 Characteristics 
The cheetah compared to other big cats is light and slimly built. Its long thin legs and long spotted tail are necessary for fast running. Its lightly built, thin form is in sharp contrast with the robust build of other big cats. The head-and-body length ranges from . The cheetah stands  at the shoulder, and weighs .

The slightly curved claws are only weakly retractable (semi-retractable). This is a major point of difference between the cheetah and the other big cats, which have fully retractable claws.

 Diet and behavior 
Cheetahs are active during the day, and hunt in the early morning or late evening. Cheetahs are carnivores. They prey on Thomson's gazelle, impala, gerenuk, Grant's gazelles, Speke's gazelles, greater kudus, springbok, red hartebeest, puku, oribi, steenbok, elands, blue wildebeest, Grevy's zebras, Grant’s zebras, warthogs, hares, ostrichs,
and even kills hunting prey.

When the cheetah hunts, it slowly and secretly moves toward its prey. When it is close to the prey (about ), it runs after it very quickly. Cheetahs kill their prey by tripping it during the chase. To kill medium- to large-sized prey, the cheetah bites the prey's throat to suffocate it to death. A bite on the back of the neck or the snout is enough to kill smaller prey.Sunquist F. & M. 2002. Wild cats of the world.  The University of Chicago Press, pp. 14–36. 

The cheetah cannot defend itself against lions or hyenas who would take the cheetah's prey away. The prey is taken to a shaded place. The cheetah, exhausted after the chase, rests beside the attack and pants heavily for some time. Once they recover, cheetahs eat quickly, and consume large quantities as soon as they can.

 Reproduction 
Pregnant females give birth to about 3 to 5 cubs or kittens after three months pregnancy. It takes two years of full-time supervision by the mother before the cubs are ready to live independent lives. They need to learn how to catch prey, and that takes time. The young are vulnerable to larger predators: lions especially try to kill cheetahs.

 Genetics 
The cheetah has unusually low genetic variability and a very low sperm count. Their sperms also suffer from deformed flagellae, and so their movement is damaged.O'Brien S. Wildt D. & Bush M. 1986. The cheetah in genetic peril. Scientific American 254: 68–76. Skin grafts between non-related cheetahs illustrate this point: there is no rejection of the donor skin. Apparently, cheetahs went through a great reduction in numbers during the last ice age. Inbreeding after the event further reduced the variation (genetic drift). 

 Cheetah as a pet 

Due to the fact that cheetahs never attack and kill humans they were extremely popular as hunting pets since antiquity and especially in medieval times in the Near and Middle East.

In modern times, cheetahs probably are the most difficult wilds cats to have as pets, due to the necessity for wide open spaces for cheetah for them to run at full speed . It's very important to feed them properly, because cheetahs in captivity must eat only lean steamed meat so they do not get sick and die.

 Interesting facts 
The cheetah is the fastest land dweller. The acceleration of a cheetah allows it to reach speeds of up to a  per hour in three seconds (its maximum speed is ). The speed that a cheetah can develop from the start in three seconds cannot be matched by any sports racing car.

The nearest challenge to the cheetah's speed comes from the pronghorn and springbok.

 References 

Category:Mammals of Africa
Category:Big cats