Cheetahs

Cheetahs are related to our domestic cats, as well as to lions and leopards.

Image: Hamsterkiste

Cheetahs once lived across large parts of Africa and Asia. Today, they are still found in the savannas of eastern and southern Africa. A few cheetahs also live in northern Iran. Cheetahs belong to the cat family, so they are related to lions as well as to our domestic cats. Lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars and snow leopards are classified as big cats, while cheetahs belong to the small cats. One important difference: big cats can roar, but cheetahs and other small cats cannot.

Cheetahs are the fastest mammals in the world. They can run at speeds of over 100 km/h. They grow to about 130 cm long (excluding the tail) and up to 80 cm tall. Powerful males can weigh up to 70 kg. Cheetahs mainly eat gazelles and small to medium-sized antelopes. They sometimes also hunt smaller prey such as guinea fowl, birds and hares.

They like to stalk their prey through tall grass. When they spot an animal to hunt, they sprint after it, knock it to the ground and suffocate it with a bite to the throat. If the prey escapes, the cheetah quickly gives up because it can only maintain its high speed for a short time. Lions like to steal prey from cheetahs. Cheetahs were once used for hunting, which is why they are sometimes still called hunting leopards.

Find out:

1. Where can cheetahs still be found today?
2. What animals are they related to, for example?
3. For example, what is one difference between big cats and small cats?
4. How fast can cheetahs run?
5. How big and how heavy do they get?
6. Which animals are hunted by cheetahs?
7. Why do cheetahs give up quickly when hunting?
8. Who sometimes steals their prey?

Cheetahs reach a length of about 130 cm and grow up to 80 cm tall

Image: Marion Schneider & Christoph Aistleitner, User:Mediocrity - Own photograph, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4026336

Cheetahs are the fastest mammals on Earth

Image: pixabay.com