![]() ![]() Sometimes brothers accept unrelated males and such unions last from a few weeks to several years. Read about how cheetahs modify prey handling behaviour to outsmart lions and hyenas here Clockwise from left: A hyena is chased away by a mother cheetah after it tried to attack her cubs in Ndutu, Tanzania © Roie Galitz Wildlife Photography 2) Cheetah brothers scan the horizon in the Serengeti, Tanzania © Barbara Fleming 3) One of the males from the Fast Five coalition © Nimit Virdiįemale cheetahs tend to be solitary (when not with dependent young), whereas males tend to form coalitions of two or four (often littermates) – a social organisation that is unique amongst cats. In Kenya’s Maasai Mara, cheetahs change their diurnal activity and become nocturnal, depending on current needs and circumstances, and some of them become successful hunters in total darkness! In contrast, in areas where there are fewer other predators, they have been recorded as being primarily nocturnal, although this may be to avoid the increased human activity in those areas. In these areas, they are primarily active during the day and during full moon periods when there is excellent visibility, and tend to abandon their kills once they have eaten their fill – both habits are thought to reduce conflict with lions and hyenas. For example, in South Africa in areas with high large carnivore densities, cheetahs can lose up to around 10% of their kills to lions and spotted hyenas. Unlike many predators, cheetahs rarely scavenge.Ĭheetahs adapt to various environmental conditions and display different behaviours depending on the area and country. They also target ground-dwelling birds such as francolins and bustards and small mammals such as hares. They are found in a wide range of habitats, from dry forest and thick scrub to savannah grassland and arid deserts.Ĭheetahs take a wide variety of prey, predominantly small or medium antelope species such as Thomson’s gazelle and impala, but also larger species such as wildebeest and kudu. By comparison, sprinter Usain Bolt hits a top speed of 45 km/hour over a maximum of 100 metres. Brief introductionĬheetahs are the fastest land mammals, with documented speeds up to 115 km/hour in captivity and 93 km/hour in the wild, but they cannot maintain such speeds for more than a few hundred metres. The following notes were based on information from IUCN Red List, supplemented by Dr Elena Chelysheva from the Mara-Meru Cheetah Project. ~ Simon Espley, CEO of Africa Geographic A cheetah cub peers curiously from around a knobthorn tree © Cal Butler ![]() And the recent upsurge in South Africa of tourism’ predator encounters’ and cub petting facilities has increased the demand for cheetahs, which have a longer usage shelf-life in this regard than do lions.” Even though no wild animal species should be tamed and made into household pets or items in personal zoo collections, there is a substantial trade in wild-caught and captive-bred cheetahs. Their relatively timid nature and lack of brute strength and sharp hooked claws make cheetahs popular pets for humans. However, there they come into conflict with pastoralists, who see cheetahs as potential livestock killers, which leads to retaliatory killing of cheetahs.Ĭheetahs have another reason to fear humans. Trying to avoid conflict with stronger predators, cheetahs move to unprotected areas. Game reserves and national parks with high populations of large predators tend to harbour small cheetah populations, and most cheetahs are often found in the vast lands beyond protected areas. Lions, leopards and hyenas frequently rob cheetahs of their hard-earned meals, and even kill adult and baby cheetahs, in the ongoing brutal battles amongst predators over resources. And, with a hunting success rate above 50%, cheetahs are amongst the most successful of Africa’s large carnivores when it comes to hunting efficiency, second only to painted wolves.Īnd yet, the evolutionary sacrifices that cheetahs have made in their quest for speed and agility have placed them at a disadvantage when it comes to defending themselves and their food against other predators. “A cheetah in full flight is one of Africa’s most breathtaking sights – that blindingly rapid and yet sublimely smooth acceleration and the ability to swerve at full speed take one’s breath away. ![]()
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