IUCN status of sub-Saharan cheetah: Vulnerable. IUCN status of North African cheetah: Critically Endangered. Listed on United States Endangered Species Act. Listed on CITES Appendix I.
Description -
The cheetah has a slender, long-legged body with blunt, semi-retractable claws. Its coat is tan with about 2,000 small, round, black spots, and the fur is coarse and short. The cheetah has a small head with high-set eyes. Black "tear marks", which run from the corner of its eyes down the sides of the nose to its mouth, keep the sun out of its eyes and aid in hunting.
Size -
Adult body length 112-135cm; tail length 65-90cm; shoulder height 70-90cm; weight 35-60kg; male avg. 45-55kg, female avg. 35-40kg.
Specialisations -
The cheetah’s small streamlined head; long, light limbs; powerful hind legs; flexible shoulders and spine; long muscular tail; semi-retractable claws; enlarged liver and heart; and wide nostrils and increased lung capacity all combine to make it the fastest mammalian sprinter on earth. Covering up to 9 meters in a stride at almost 4 strides per second, the cheetah can reach a speed of 110km/h or more. For more than half of every stride, the cheetah is airborne
Distribution -
Once found throughout Africa, the Middle East and central Asia, the species is now only found in various countries in Africa, with a small population left in Iran.
Habitat -
Cheetahs can be found in open plains, woodland, savannah, highlands up to 2,000 m, and arid regions extending to desert fringes. Habitat is determined more by abundance of prey and lack of other big predators, but a balance of cover and visibility is important.
Territory -
Females are not territorial but roam over home ranges that can vary from 50 sq km to over 3,000 sq km on Namibian farmlands. Males establish and defend small territories that overlap with ranges of many females. In Namibia male home ranges average 2,000 sq km but territories they defend are much smaller. Territories are often located where concentrations of game and adequate cover attract large numbers of females. Males warn intruders to stay away from their territories by scent-marking but sometimes fights occur, resulting in serious injury or death.
Behaviour -
The cheetah’s social system of solitary females and social males is unique among cats. Females raise cubs on their own, teaching them survival skills: how to hunt wild prey and avoid other predators, such as lions, leopards and hyenas. At around 18 months, the mother leaves the cubs, who then form a sibling group, which can stay together for up to 6 months. By 2 years, the female siblings have left the group to establish their own home ranges, but male siblings often remain together for life. Coalitions of 2 to 5 brothers, and sometimes unrelated males, are formed to better acquire and defend territories.
Cheetahs use places of elevation—rocks, termite mounds and play trees (sloping trees with large horizontal limbs) as observation points and scent posts. A variety of vocalizations include chirping like a bird, churring or stutter-calling, moaning in distress and growling, snarling and hissing in anger or fright. Cheetahs purr just like a domestic cat when content.
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