Cheetah

Scientific name: Acinonyx jubatus 

Distribution: Cheetahs can now be found in Central and Southern Africa. This animal has been a frequent occurrence in the Middle East and in some Asian territories, although at present it is very rare to see it here. 

Lonely: Unlike other African felines, the cheetah is a solitary animal, which is only accompanied by the children, if it has them. The brothers also hold together for some time after the mother considers that they are prepared to live alone.

Speed: The cheetah is an extremely fast animal. It presents different morphological characteristics of other felines, namely, their nails are not retractable, and their whole body is muscle shaped to be a sprinter, not using force as a major asset. Its body size limits the size of the prey that the cheetah he can hunt, but his speed allows him to catch prey that are also very agile.

 Being the fastest terrestrial animal, it reaches the 110 km per hour, and can never do races exceeding 10 seconds. For this reason, the cheetah has to hunt at first, because if it fails it will have to wait until its temperature returns to normal to be able to return to chase a prey. Thus, the cheetah chooses a victim in the open, and will slowly try to approach, distancing himself from all other animals, to increase the likelihood of success. If you get to the point of thinking that you will succeed, then you will attempt a surprise attack. The favorite prey of the cheetahs are the gazelles and impalas, which can drag easily and allow you not to suffer many physical damage if it eventually fails.

Dangers: Because of their stature and living alone, the cheetah finds many carnivores, including hyenas, who are systematically trying to take their prey. Then, when hunting, he takes the prey to a more protected area and from where he can observe the movements around him to more easily be able to defend himself.

Reproduction: Cheetahs have litters of two or three pups, and gestation lasts about 90 days. The mother breastfeeds the offspring exclusively until they are about 60 days old, then and up to six months hunting alone for them and by that time she begins to teach them how to hunt. Up to two, they hunt and live together, and when the mother thinks they are prepared to survive alone, she disappears never to return. The young offspring remain together for a few months, but gradually move away and create their own hunting grounds. 

Size, weight and life expectancy: Cheetahs measure on average 1.30 in length, 75 cm in height and weigh about 50 kg. Their life expectancy is 20 years.