Because their teeth are shorter than those of other big cats, according to the Smithsonian, cheetahs suffocate their prey by clamping down on the animal's throat with their strong jaws, rather than sinking their teeth deep into their prey's flesh.Ĭheetahs typically creep up on their prey and don't initiate their chase until the targeted animal starts to flee, according to The Maryland Zoo. What do cheetahs eat?Ĭheetahs are carnivores, or meat eaters, whose typical prey are small- to medium-size animals, such as birds, hares, warthogs, gazelles and young wildebeest.ĭuring daybreak and dusk, cheetahs spend their time stalking and catching prey. In captivity, they can live longer - around 12 to 15 years, on average - due to human care and a lack of natural predators, the Smithsonian notes. In the wild, cheetahs have average life spans of 8 to 10 years. Their home ranges are more extensive than those of males and can cover up to 370 square miles (960 square km), largely because the big cats follow the migration path of gazelles, a primary food source. Young females typically stick closer to home, sometimes even occupying the same range as their mother, though living independently. Male territories usually span 5 to 10 square miles (13 to 26 square km) and can extend up to 50 square miles (130 square km). At that point, the coalition seeks out a new home range far away - sometimes as far as 300 miles (482 km) - from their mother's range. Lone males are not common and typically do not survive long on their own, according to the San Diego Zoo.Īccording to the Smithsonian, male cheetahs reach sexual maturity around age 2. Male siblings tend to stick together in coalitions of two or three so that they can better protect their territories. The littermates that do survive tend to stay together for another six to eight months, after which the female siblings leave the group to live on their own. Mothers live with their cubs for about 18 months, but even under the mother's watchful eye, only about 5% of cheetah cubs survive to adulthood, according to the AWF. When a cub is about 6 months old, its mother starts teaching it to hunt and avoid predators, such as lions, hyenas, eagles and humans. Related: Cat photo album: The life of a cheetah However, these so-called "mantles" disappear as the cubs age, according to the San Diego Zoo. Cubs are born with all their spots, as well as mane-like hair on their neck and shoulders. Cheetah cubs weigh between 5 and 10 ounces (140 to 280 grams) when born - not much larger than newborn house cats, which typically weigh 3 to 4 ounces (90 to 110 g). The gestation period for cheetahs is around three months, and litter sizes range from three to five cubs. Females socialize with males only when mating, and they raise their offspring on their own, according to the Smithsonian. While female cheetahs tend to live alone or with their cubs, males typically live in small groups called "coalitions," which are made up of male cheetah siblings. (Image credit: herve_blondeau / 500px via Getty Images) How do cheetahs socialize?Ī cheetah grooms another cheetah. When not actively hunting, they prefer to sleep and rest in tall grasses, under trees or on rocky outposts. Instead, these nomadic cats have home territories or ranges - expanses of grasslands, savannas, forest land and mountainous terrain, ranging from about 5 to 370 square miles (13 to 958 square kilometers), which they regularly roam, according to the Smithsonian. In January 2022, Iranian officials reported that only a few cheetahs remained in the country, The Times of Israel reported.Ĭheetahs don't have one home location where they seek shelter day in and day out. The animals are now found primarily in North Africa, the Sahel (the region between the Sahara desert and the savanna of Sudan), East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania) and southern Africa (Namibia and Botswana), according to the Smithsonian.Ī small population of Asiatic cheetahs also lives in Iran, where the animals are critically endangered. (Image credit: Mike Powles via Getty Images) Where do cheetahs live?Ĭheetahs are native to Africa and Asia, although the Asiatic cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) has become all but extinct, according to The Times of Israel.Īccording to the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), cheetahs currently inhabit only about 10% of their historic range. Cheetahs can sprint at speeds of 60 to 70 mph (96 to 112 km/h).
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