What is the average weight of a cheetah

Female cheetahs live on their own, each with a large home range. Females in areas such as the Serengeti, where the prey is migratory, typically follow the herds.

Meanwhile, males are either solitary or form small coalitions with one or two other males, typically their littermates. Some males establish small territories in areas where they are likely to find mates.

Both male and female cheetahs mate with several partners, and studies show that cubs of the same litter can have different fathers. Female cheetahs typically have a litter of three cubs that live with them for about a year and a half. Young cubs spend that time learning from their mother and practicing hunting techniques with playful games.

After leaving their mother, littermates stick together for another six months before the females strike out on their own. Cheetah populations are under pressure as the open grasslands they favor are disappearing to human occupation and development.

Given their solitary lives and the size of their home ranges, cheetahs need large areas of connected habitat— likely upwards of 3, square miles —to find mates and ultimately survive as a species.

However, human settlements have fragmented their habitat, and most protected areas are not large enough to sustain cheetah populations. If a cheetah kills a goat or sheep, the livestock owner may kill the cheetah in retaliation.

No one knows how many cubs are taken from the wild for the pet trade each year, but some estimates say it may be several hundred. Cheetahs also face fierce competition for prey, and their cubs are particularly vulnerable to predation from lions. Compounding all these problems, cheetahs have an extremely low level of genetic variation , which is essential for a species to evolve in the face of environmental changes and disease.

This lack of genetic variation is thought to have nearly caused their extinction at the end of the last ice age —and scientists fear it leaves them vulnerable to extinction today.

Cheetah conservation is particularly difficult given their wide geographic range—it requires large-scale, regional collaboration across countries. Hunting cheetahs is illegal in most of the countries where they can be found, as is owning them as pets. All rights reserved. But did you know their tails play a crucial role in hunting?

Check out these and other fun facts about cheetahs. Common Name: Cheetahs. Scientific Name: Acinonyx jubatus. Type: Mammals. Diet: Carnivore. Size: Body: 3. When these cheetahs are released back into the wild, the created coalitions will often remain intact throughout the life of the individuals. Females lead solitary lives unless they are accompanied by their cubs. Female cheetah home ranges depend on the distribution of prey. If prey is roaming and widespread, females will have larger ranges.

Estrus in female cheetahs is not predictable or regular. This is one of the reasons why it is difficult to breed cheetahs in captivity. Mating receptivity depends on environmental factors that, researchers have found, are triggered by the proximity of males and their scent markings. Estrus lasts up to 14 days and females will mate with multiple males during this time period. Male cheetahs that encounter a female cheetah in estrus will stay with her and mate up to three days and at intervals throughout the day.

When it comes to mating, there are no dominant males within the coalition that claim exclusive access to females. All males within a coalition will mate. Unsustainable human expansion and irresponsible consumption can cause pressure on ecosystems worldwide.

Population research has shown that when habitat is destroyed and populations become fragmented and isolated, the rate of inbreeding increases and the genetic diversity lowers. Physiological impairments such as: poor sperm quality, focal palatine erosion, susceptibility to infectious diseases, and kinked tails are a result of low genetic diversity within both the wild and captive cheetah population.

Cheetahs are visual hunters. Unlike other big cats cheetahs are diurnal, meaning they hunt in early morning and late afternoon. The hunt has several components. It includes prey detection, stalking, the chase, tripping or prey capture , and killing by means of a suffocation bite to the throat. The prey species on which the cheetah depends have evolved speed and avoidance techniques that can keep them just out of reach.

Cheetahs will also prey on the calves of larger herd animals. Cheetahs generally prefer to prey upon wild species and avoid hunting domestic livestock. The exception happening in sick, injured and either old or young and inexperienced cheetahs. Keeping livestock in kraals and utilizing non-lethal means of protection can dramatically reduce livestock predation.

While cheetahs can reach remarkable speeds, they cannot sustain a high speed chase for very long. They must catch their prey in 30 seconds or less as they cannot maintain maximum speeds for much longer. Cheetahs spend most of their time sleeping and they are minimally active during the hottest portions of the day.

They prefer shady spots and will sleep under the protection of large shady trees. Cheetahs do not hunt at night, they are most active during the morning and evening hours. The cheetah serves a special role in its ecosystem. Cheetahs are one of the most successful hunters on the savanna but their kills are very often stolen by larger carnivores or predators that hunt in groups. Predators play an important role in any ecosystem. They keep prey species healthy by killing the weak and old individuals.

They also act as a population check which helps plants-life by preventing overgrazing. Without predators like the cheetah, the savanna ecosystem in Namibia would be very different and the current ecological trend toward desertification would be accelerated.

They growl when facing danger, and they vocalize with sounds more equivalent to a high-pitched chirp or bubble and they bark when communicating with each other. The cheetah can also purr while both inhaling and exhaling. Only a handful of individuals remained.

The population of cheetahs rebounded. Once found throughout Asia and Africa, today there are fewer than 7, adult and adolescent cheetahs in the wild. In Namibia, they are a protected species.

Most wild cheetahs exist in fragmented populations in pockets of Africa, occupying a mere 9 percent of their historic range. In Iran, fewer than 50 Asiatic cheetahs a sub-species remain. The largest single population of cheetahs occupies a six-country polygon that spans Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Angola, Mozambique and Zambia.

In captivity cheetahs can live from 17 — 20 years. In countries across Africa, like Namibia, it is illegal to capture and take live cheetahs from the wild. Also in the majority of African countries, like Namibia, it is illegal to keep cheetahs under private ownership or as pets. Cheetah Conservation Fund and other Africa-based NGOs keep populations of injured or orphaned animals in captivity as part of rehabilitation and rewilding efforts. Very young and extremely ill animals will have greater degrees of contact with human caretakers.

Survival in the wild depends on an aversion to humans and avoidance of human populations. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

One of the best ways to help is through general donations that can be used however it is most needed at the time. To make a general donation just click the Donate Now button below. This is the best way to give as it has the lowest credit card processing fees and is immediate help for the cats.

If you prefer to donate via Pay Pal, please use this link: Pay Pal. Remember Me. Donate Now Volunteer Contact Us. Sunday, November 14, Login Register. Home Big Cat Facts. Cheetah Facts by BCR. March 12, You might also like. Caracal Facts. Florida Panther Facts. Related Posts. Big Cat Facts. Caracal Facts June 1, Florida Panther Facts January 10, Catfight December 24, Leopard Facts May 5, Next Post.

Hasanur Rahman says:. August 2, at am. September 22, at am. November 23, at am. Rajendra Basnet says:. Faruqur Rahman says:. January 15, at am. Ntemi ThBoi says:. April 5, at pm. Jones Isak says:. May 11, at pm. Aden Baker says:. July 12, at am. Mohamad Azmi Baker Al-Nazer says:. October 5, at pm. Sungahid Ruthchie says:. October 13, at am. Erica Jimison-Marin says:. June 19, at am. Kitty Kool says:. July 9, at am. Roland Moyo says:. August 9, at pm.

Michelle Gallardo says:. November 21, at am. November 11, at am. July 1, at am. Mason carr says:. February 3, at pm. September 29, at pm. Rian says:. February 11, at am. February 14, at am. March 2, at pm. April 8, at pm. April 25, at pm. April 29, at am. Evanna Yau says:. June 16, at pm. July 21, at am. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Help Feed Big Cats. Take Action Against Abuse. Shop To Save Big Cats.

More From BigCatRescue. Sanctuary Cats. Ways to Help. Recent Videos. Login Sign Up. All Rights Reserved. Welcome Back! Login to your account below. Forgotten Password?