Cheetahs Essay Research Paper CheetahsThe cheetah belongs

Cheetahs Essay, Research Paper

Cheetahs

The cheetah belongs to Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class Mammalia, Order: Carnivora, Family: Felidae, Genus: Acinonyx, and Species: Jubatus. Therefore, its scientific name is Acinonyx Jubatus. The cheetah s distinguishing marks are the long tear-drop shaped lines on each side of the nose from the corner of its eyes to its mouth. The coat is tan, or buff

colored, with black spots measuring from + to 1 + inches across. There are no spots on its white belly, and the tail has spots which merge to form four to six dark rings at the end. The tail usually ends in a bushy white tuft. Distinctive individual ring patterns on the tail enable the identification

of specific cheetahs (by humans). An adult cheetah weighs 80-140 lb., is about 32 in. tall at the shoulder and 48-56 in. long with another 28-32 in. in the tail. Males are a little larger than females. Cheetahs are sometimes mistaken for leopards which are much heavier animals with rosette shaped spots and no tear marks. Of all the big cats, the cheetahs have the least strength and as a result they and/or their cubs are often killed.

The Cheetah is most famous for its speed and can accelerate from zero to 40 mph in three strides and to full speed of 70 mph in seconds. The cheetah is aerodynamically built for this speed. As the cheetah runs, only one foot at a time touches the ground. There are two points, in its 20 to 25 foot stride when no feet touch the ground, as they are fully extended and

then totally doubled up. Nearing full speed, the cheetah is running at about 3 + strides per second. The cheetah s respiratory rate climbs from 60 to 150 breaths per minute during a high-speed chase and can run only 400 to 600 yards before it is exhausted; at this time it is extremely vulnerable to other predators, which may not only steal its prey, but attack it as well.

The cheetah has specialized for speed through many adaptations: It is endowed with a powerful heart, oversized liver, and large, strong arteries. It has a small head, flat face, reduced muzzle length allowing the large eyes to be positioned for maximum binocular vision, enlarged nostrils, and extensive air filled sinuses. Its body is narrow, lightweight with long, slender feet and legs, and specialized muscles, which act simultaneously for high acceleration and allowing greater swing to the limbs. Its hip and shoulder girdles swivel on a flexible spine that curves up and down, as the limbs are alternately bunched up and then extended when running, giving greater reach to the legs. The cheetah s long and muscular tail acts as a stabilizer for balance to counteract its body. The cheetah is the only cat with short, blunt semi non-retractable claws that help grip the ground for traction when running. Their paws are less rounded than the other cats, and their pads are hard, similar to tire treads, to help them in fast, sharp turns.

Cheetahs are distributed primarily throughout the drier parts of sub-Saharan Africa. They are not generally associated with forest habitats: they occur only thinly in the more humid zones of woodland that cover much of central southern Africa. However, although cheetahs are most frequently observed on open grassy plains, they also make extensive use of bush, scrub, and

open woodlands.

Cheetahs have a unique, well-structured social order. Males live alone or in coalitions made up of brothers from the same litter. Young males seek out an area at a great distance from their parent; sometimes as far as 300 miles away. Territories are often located in areas where there is a rich supply of wild game and/or water. This coalition will live and hunt together for life

and claims a range which may overlap several female territories. Some coalitions maintain territories in order to find females with which they will mate. Fierce fights between male coalitions, resulting in serious injury or death, can occur when defending territories. The average size of male territories is 37.4 km2. Young females, however, usually occupy the same range as their mother although all females are solitary except when they have a litter. Their average home range extends to 833 km2. Males and females mix only to mate.

Sexual maturity occurs at 20-23 months. Unlike most cats, cheetahs breed throughout the year without a regular breeding season. Following a gestation period of 90-98 days a litter of 1-8 cubs will be born. The typical litter is about 4-5 cubs. At birth cubs are about 11.8 inches long and weigh 0.6 pounds. They are a gray color with a mantle of hair along the back. This

mane-like growth, which possibly helps camouflage the cub in grass, begins to disappear at 3 months but may still be seen at 2 years of age. Only a few cubs reach adulthood: lions and hyenas are their greatest threat. Males do not take part in raising the cubs. The mother raises them on her own. During their first few weeks of life the mother moves her cubs every few daysto avoid predators. But she must leave them alone to hunt and mortality is very high, about 80% are killed during this period. Juveniles stay with the mother for 16 to 24 months and following this period the litter members live together for a time perfecting their hunting skills. When the female reaches sexual maturity she either leaves her brothers or they are separated from her by