Cheetahs are predators in the wild that prey upon medium-sized herbivores like gazelles and impalas. When killing one, they often do so by driving their canine teeth deep into its throat until suffocation occurs.
Cheetahs typically hunt during the day using sight rather than smell; stalking their prey patiently until movement triggers an explosion of speed. Cheetahs found in zoos usually feed on horse meat as well as beef, chicken and rabbit meat.
Hunting
Cheetahs are one of the fastest animals on Earth, reaching speeds of 120 km/h. Carnivorous in nature, these carnivores consume meat such as gazelles and hares as well as larger animals’ young. There are four subspecies of Cheetah that live across Africa with one subspecies living in Iran.
Cheetahs use both their sense of smell and sight to locate prey, then stalk its path for several meters before ambush hunting (ambush hunting is another name for stalking prey for ambushing purposes) which allows them to surprise their quarry more effectively and capture it faster.
Cheetahs move quickly in pursuit of their prey. For large animals such as cows or deer, the cheetah will kill its victim by clamping its jaw down onto its throat for an effective vise-grip killing technique. Smaller prey such as rabbits are generally taken care of via bite through their skull.
After this initial evaluation of their surroundings, cheetahs will inspect their immediate environment for signs of other predators nearby. If any threats emerge, cheetahs often yield their prey up in order to avoid confrontation; otherwise they take it back and hide it somewhere shady for safe keeping.
Cheetahs need time off during hunting to rejuvenate and rest their energy levels, giving their muscles and vision the chance to recover while giving themselves time for grooming and cleaning their paws.
Cheetah cubs learn how to hunt by following their mother as she searches for food, drinking milk from their mother until around six months of age and then beginning on their own hunting mission. At this age, mortality among these cubs is often high as other predators such as lions or hyenas may attack and attack them directly.
Cheetahs can reach speeds of 128 kilometers per hour when hunting. While most often hunting alone, sometimes packs will form. Together they work to take down large prey such as wildebeests and kudus before hunting smaller prey such as lizards or birds for dinner.
Predation
Cheetahs are the fastest land predators. To reach their top speeds, cheetahs use special adaptations such as their flexible spine and hard foot pads, curved dew claws that allow them to trip their prey before driving their teeth into its throat to suffocate it and their bold black spots that cover their fur for easy identification from long distances.
Cheetahs feed on gazelles in their habitats, such as gnu, klipspringer, rhim and dorcas gazelle. They also hunt smaller animals such as hares and impalas. Adult cheetahs typically hunt two to three times every week while females with cubs may need to hunt more frequently to provide enough milk for their young ones.
Cheetahs can become vulnerable to predation from other large cats such as lions and hyenas when hunting, with these predators potentially taking away its meal or even killing its cubs. In order to reduce this threat, they should hunt in areas with less other predators such as forests.
Cheetahs tend to be most active during morning and early afternoon when temperatures are cooler; hunting occurs most efficiently during driest parts of the day when grass density is less. Cheetahs cannot roar like other big felines do; their voice comes through either deep purrs or bird-like sounds known as “chirpups.”
Predation by humans is significantly rarer than predators that inhabit the wild, yet cheetahs remain vulnerable to illegal hunting for meat and skin. A wild cheetah typically attacks only in self-defense or when cornered on its territory; captive cheetahs typically only attack when provoked or used as live bait by other predators.
Cheetahs in zoos typically receive meals of beef, chicken or rabbit as food sources; additionally they receive frozen rabbit femurs to enrich their diets and are typically fed twice a day; once in the morning and again before bedtime. Since cheetahs tend to favor meat-based diets instead of plant-based ones, their diet in captivity tends to differ substantially from that of their wild cousins.
Diet
Cheetahs are carnivorous animals and require a high energy diet in order to stay at the forefront of land speed. Cheetahs can hunt animals up to half their size, such as Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles as well as impalas, wildebeests, springboks etc. Additionally they are known to prey upon young of larger antelope species; when hunting alone cheetahs can consume up to 10 kg per day!
Captive cheetahs typically consume between 2.5-6 kg of meat daily in captivity, as well as bones and organs to increase fiber and nutrition intake. Cheetahs can run up to 131 km/h so can easily catch and kill larger prey such as giraffes or wildebeest, though they typically do so due to having narrower hunting ranges.
As with any large cat, diet plays an essential role in their health and well-being. Cheetahs with unhealthy diets may experience various problems, such as gastrointestinal disease; this condition is quite prevalent among captive cheetahs; fortunately their natural diet contains high fiber levels which help protect them against digestive illness.
Another way to improve cheetah health is through feeding them more raw meat. A recent study demonstrated that their faecal consistency increased significantly when given carcasses or raw meat instead of commercially prepared diets; this could be related to differences in availability, cultural attitudes regarding certain foods being fed, hygiene and storage concerns with carcasses as well as differing husbandry recommendations.
Cheetahs are very intelligent animals that avoid confrontation with more aggressive predators such as lions and leopards, only engaging in combat when necessary or when protecting cubs. Cheetahs do not consume humans like their larger cousins do, although if threatened they may attack humans – although typically preferring gazelles and impalas for hunting purposes instead.
Habitat
Cheetahs require open areas with plenty of vegetation in order to hunt and survive, preferring mixed scrub-savannah habitat, but can also be found living in desert and wooded environments. As one of the fastest land animals, their ability to hunt down gazelle populations helps balance ecosystems by preventing overgrazing which would otherwise cause mass species extinctions.
Cheetahs use their speed to hunt, usually targeting rabbits or young gazelles. After making a kill, they usually rest for several minutes before beginning to consume it; when eating their tails flap to help gulp down food and liquid. Their long, bushy tufts of tail serve as camouflage against their surroundings while black rings within their coat add another element of camouflage that aid their pattern of spots.
Cheetahs, like other cats, are carnivorous animals that only consume meat. Unlike their bigger cat counterparts (lions and tigers), however, cheetahs don’t prey upon people but usually only attack in self-defense when threatened or feeling threatened themselves. While rare attacks from cheetahs on humans do happen; nonetheless they can still be dangerous, often mistaken for lions when attacking livestock.
Cheetah cubs rely entirely on their mother for milk until they reach about three months of age, at which point they become independent hunters and foragers. Their mother will show them how to hunt by providing her kills – starting out hunting smaller creatures like hares or gazelles before eventually progressing to larger game like wildebeests or kudu. Male cheetahs tend to hunt in coalitions which typically consist of two or three males born into the same litter.
Cheetahs are among the most widely distributed wild dogs and can be found across much of Africa. Their habitat ranges from dense savannah grasslands to dry rocky hills and deserts – making them highly adaptable creatures who thrive in any environment they encounter. Their adaptability is part of what has made them such a sought-after choice as pet breeds.