How tall is cheetah

Big Cats popularly refers to the class of wild animals in the family Felidae, and more specifically the larger species in the genus Panthera. X Dimensions. Browse Tags Convert About. Humans Animals Plants.

Furniture Fixtures Layouts Buildings. Transport Sports Digital Pop Culture. Cheetah 3D Model. Where did felines originate? Felines can be traced back to 37 million years ago and are native to almost every region except for Australia and Antarctica.

Smaller cats specifically can be traced back to western Eurasia about 10 million years ago. The domestic cat originated in ancient Egypt and Near East and was domesticated about 10, years ago. Which felines live in groups? Lions are the only felines that truly live in groups called prides.

In prides all the females are related and live with the pride for life. A pride typically consists of 5 or 6 female lions, their cubs, and 1 or 2 male lions that mate with the female lions.

Cheetah males may gather in bachelor groups temporarily. The open land of grasslands and semi-desert better accommodates the Cheetahs way of hunting, which is running as opposed to the stalk and pounce method. Namibia is home to the largest population of Cheetah at about 2, cats. Sadly now the species is burning out and can be found sparsely scattered amongst Namibia, Kenya, Asia, as well as a handful of other small countries.

The Cheetah above all else is the most reproductive cat. Why then is it so endangered? The answer is two-fold. Cheetah cubs often fall prey to Lions, Jackals, Birds of Prey, and Hyenas, as the mother must leave them behind while hunting for food. Even if the mother was near, she could not fend off an animal as large as a Lion or Hyena, the Cheetah was built for running not fighting.

This is the second reason for their inability to survive. This genetic peril is responsible for weak and underdeveloped immune systems. Disease and illness attack a weak immune system, which in turn causes death. Most cubs do not even make it past 1 month old when this is the case. After a gestation period of days a female Cheetah will give birth to a litter of cubs. The largest litter recorded in captivity was 8. The male Cheetah does not participate in the rearing of the cubs.

The mother may leave the cubs for as long as 48 hours in order to hunt for enough food to sustain her in a lactating state. If the food supply is too scarce the mother may abandon the cubs, so as to maintain her way of life. Also if the litter is lost with in the first few weeks the female will come into estrus in the next few days.

If this is not the case the mother will return and move the cubs from one location to another to better hide the smell of her young from predators. Sometimes the mother will even wait until night falls to return to her cubs, so that she is not as easily followed.

The cubs are usually weaned at weeks and will then leave the den and follow the mother from then on. If a young cub loses its original family, due to some great misfortune, it will find another family and join them despite the ill will from the new mother and being out cast by the new brothers and sisters. At 5 months old, the cubs are playing with one another, sharpening their stalking, chasing, and wrestling skills in a playful manner.

At 6 months the mother Cheetah will fetch live prey injuring it and then giving it to the cubs so they may practice the art of the kill. At 8 months the cubs are chasing inappropriately large prey such as Giraffes. A Cheetah will not be a very skilled and efficient hunter until about 3 years of age. At months the cubs will leave the mother, but may stay together for several more months. Young females will leave her brothers when they reach sexual maturity. Young males will travel far from parents and will lay claim to a territory as large as square miles.

Young females will stay closer to home and may even overlap territory with the mother. Female Cheetahs are solitary animals except when rearing a litter. Mothers with cubs will usually stay with in close proximity of one another. Females only come in contact with other Cheetahs in order to mate. Males on the other hand will sometimes form coalitions of in order to defend more land. These coalitions are mostly formed between brothers, but sometimes include outsiders.

Males are not territorial towards each other, but are in fact towards other males or coalitions. Due to coalitions fighting against one another the ratio has dropped to one male for every two females. Cheetahs communicate in many different ways. Some of these are through vocalizations such as purrs, bleats, barks, growls, hisses, and a high pitched chirping sound.

Another way to communicate is through marking. A Cheetah will mark their territory by urinating or by cheek and chin rubbing. Saliva that is secreted contains the same chemical information about the animals, as does the urine.

Cheetahs will mark territory so that they can better avoid one another. The Cheetah is the fastest land animal, reaching a top speed of 70 mph!

The Cheetah however can only run for short sprints of up to yards. These sprints will usually last for 20 seconds, but rarely ever reach a full minute. Non-retractable claws and tough pads on their feet closely resemble that of a dog. These features offer better traction to get to those high speeds. A long heavy tail acts as a rudder for making those sharp turns while in pursuit. A stride is the measured distance between successive imprints of the same paw.

With the added reach given by the spine 1 stride can stretch as far as meters. The Cheetah averages 4 strides per second or 1 stride per.

The Cheetah can out run the horse going from mph in 2 seconds flat, though this will not very last very long. The horse would inevitably win in the long run. Cheetahs are equipped with several special features that are crucial in successful and efficient hunting.

Binocular vision is a very important asset since Cheetahs rely on sight to hunt as opposed to scent. The retinal fovea of the eye is of an elongated shape, giving a sharp wide-angle view. Much like a human fingerprint, these markings are unique from cat to cat. Cheetahs also have signature black "tear stains" on their faces — one trailing from the inner corner of each eye, down to the mouth.

Cheetahs' long, slender bodies, powerful legs and flexible spine enable them to fully stretch their bodies when they sprint and cover significant ground — around 20 to 22 feet 6 to 6. Cheetahs can execute quick turns even while in midair thanks to their long tail, which counters their body weight. Their semi-retractable claws, which are more dog-like than a typical cat claw, provide great traction during sprints and sudden changes in direction.

Cheetahs are native to Africa and Asia, although the Asiatic cheetah has become all but extinct. A small population also lives in Iran, where they are critically endangered. Cheetahs don't have one home location where they seek shelter day in and day out.

Instead, these nomadic cats have home territories or ranges — expanses of grasslands, savannas, forest land and mountainous terrain, ranging from 5 to over square miles 13 to over square kilometers in size, which they regularly roam, according to the Smithsonian National Zoo.

When not actively hunting, they prefer to sleep and rest in tall grasses, under trees, or on rocky outposts. 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.

Females socialize with males only when mating, and they raise their offspring on their own. The gestation period for cheetahs is around three months, and litter sizes vary between three and five cubs, according to the San Diego Zoo.

Cheetah cubs weigh between 5 and 10 ounces to grams when born — not much larger than newborn housecats, which typically weigh 3 to 4 ounces 90 to g. Cubs are born with all their spots, as well as mane-like hair on their neck and shoulders.

Cubs lose their mantle at about three months of age. Cheetah cubs are very active and playful. Trees provide good observation points and allow for development of skills in balancing. Learning to hunt is the most critical survival skill that the cubs will develop. At one year of age, cheetah cubs participate in hunts with their mother. The mother and cubs will finally separate.

Although not fully adept at hunting on their own, independent male and female cubs will stick together for a few more months to master their hunting skills. When the adolescent females begin cycling, dominant males will court them and drive their brothers away. As the female siblings become sexually mature they will split from the group to lead a largely independent life.

Male siblings remain together for the rest of their lives, forming a group known as a coalition. Coalitions increase hunting success and act as a defense against other predators. When the split from sisters occurs, the males will roam until they can find and defend a territory.

This process can take a few years and males may travel hundreds of miles, being moved out of one area to another, pushed on by more experienced male coalitions. Eventually, the group will find a place where they can settle. Cheetahs that become orphaned at a young age, and are brought into a rehabilitation situation, can be paired with non-related individuals to form a coalition. 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.