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Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) - The African savannas' fastest hunter
Cheetahs are the fastests mammals living on solid ground. The slender, long-legged cats are capable to reach top speeds of up to 120 km/h. Cheetahs are up to 1,5 meters long and weigh up to 65 kg. Remarkable is their relativly small head.
Above all Cheetahs inhabit steppe and semi-deserts south of the Sahara nowadays. In former times Cheetahs were spread in entire Africa and parts of Asia, except the rainforests and deserts.
Cheetahs live solitary or in small groups. Such groups may for example consist of a female and her young, up to 2 years old. But also males join together to groups sometimes. Cheetahs inhabit home ranges which are sized about 100 square kilometers. The 1 up to 5 young are born after a pregnancy of about 3 months. They are weaned when half a year old but stay with their mother until they are sexually matured at an age of about 2 years. Cheetahs may reach an age of up to 15 years.
Cheetahs have been hunted because of their fur and as competitors in regions of cattle raising. Nowadays they are extremely endangered. Because of their specialization on speed Cheetahs are endangered in another respect too: They can use their speed just in open areas. If their habitat will change in the future, Cheetahs will be confronted with a clear disadvantage in comparison with competitors that are not that much specialized.
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This article was originally published at <a href="http://magazine.naturspot.de" target="_top">magazine.naturspot.de</a>. <a href="http://magazine.naturspot.de/text/cheetah.html" target="_top">Link to the original article</a>
The animal photos are NOT part of this permission. |
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