Community Magazine July 2016

Exploring the Wild World of Animals EFRAIM HARARI T he cheetah has a long and slender body that is covered in coarse, yellowish fur and dotted with small black spots. It has a small head, with high-set eyes that aid the cheetah in surveying the surrounding grasslands for prey. The distinctive black “tear marks” that run from the inside corners of the cheetah’s eyes, along its nose, and down to the outside edges of its mouth, is believed to help protect the cheetah from being blinded by the bright sun. The cheetah’s long tail, which can grow up to thirty-three inches in length, has ringed markings and a black tip. The cheetah is one of Africa’s most graceful predators and is most renowned for its exceptional speed. Capable of racing at the speed of 70 mph, the cheetah is the fastest land animal in the universe! The dazzling speed of the cheetah is due to a number of factors, including its long and powerful hind legs and its incredibly flexible and muscular spine, which allow the cheetah to sprint quickly and with agility. The cheetah also has semi-retractable claws (claws that can’t be pulled in) which dig into the ground, giving the cheetah a better grip while it runs at high speeds. The cheetah is one of the more sociable species of cats, with males often roaming in small groups, generally with their siblings. Strangely enough, it is the females that are more solitary animals, apart from the eighteen months or so that they spend raising their cubs. The cheetah is unique amongst Africa’s felines in that it is most active during the day. This avoids competition for food from other large and stronger feline predators, like lions and hyenas, which hunt during the cooler night. Cheetahs hunt a wide assortment of animals, including gazelles, wildebeest, rabbits, antelopes, and ostriches. The cheetah is a large and powerful feline (member of the cat family) that was once found throughout Africa and Asia and even in parts of Europe. Today, however, cheetahs are confined to only a few remote regions in Africa and Iran. Whereas in the early 1900’s, there were over 100,000 cheetahs living in the wild, there are now far less of them in existence, with under 12,000 cheetahs living in Africa and only around 200 in Iran. THE CHEETAH 90 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE