Research Paper On Cheetah

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The fastest land mammal known is the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus). It is capable of sprinting at a speed of up to 29ms-1. A top speed of 25ms-1 was recorded using special collar during a hunt in Botswana but moderate speed was observed in all 367 cheetahs used in the study. Cheetahs have their natural habitat in the eastern and southern parts of Africa (Wilson, et al., 2013) . Of all the felidae found in these parts that are categorized as big cats, the cheetah is the only one from the felinae subfamily. The other two found majorly in this region are the lion(Panthera leo) and the leopard (Panthera pardus ) which are members of the subfamily pantherinae. There are also incidences of animal adoption where private citizens opt to have them as pets. …show more content…

First off, though similar morphologically, the weight supported on the hind limbs varies from one animal to another. The cheetah carries more weight (about 70% of its body weight) while the greyhound carries about 62% of its body weight. This difference may provide for better balance for the animal supporting more weight, in this case being the cheetah (Boast, et al., 2013). The cheetah also achieves its speed through the utilization of greater lengths in its strides. Watching a video of a sprint in slow motion will show that the cheetah stretches out while it runs which allows it to cover more distance with each stride. However, the ability for speed is not reflected in the length of the chase. Cheetahs may be fast, but they can only sprint for a short period of time and it is the ability to hunt in a group that grants them the greater advantage. Cheetahs, unlike leopards seldom search for prey in solitude. The hunts are well organized and gives them greater advantage in the sprints. Being fairly smaller in size, the cheetah will most likely go for smaller prey. This ensures that the energy expelled in the chase has a higher chance of being replenished. However, when the group of hunters comprises mostly of adults, they will attempt larger prey but do saw