The spectacle of a cheetah running at full speed is art; the anatomy and physique facilitating its speed and agility is genetic engineering at its best. The cheetah can accelerate from 0 – 60 mph in 3 seconds, making it the fastest land animal on the planet. Yes, even faster than Usain Bolt. Like Bolt, the cheetah is a sprinter – not a long distance runner – and can only attain high speeds in short bursts due to the tremendous drain on its energy resources. It could take up to 30 minutes for a cheetah to recover from a chase.
So just how can this big cat accelerate faster than a Ferrari? On the exterior, the cheetah is the most slender of the big cats; its lightweight body (weighing about 80-140 lbs.), small head and long legs are designed for aerodynamics. Structurally, the cheetah has a unique, flexible spine, which allows for extreme flexion and extension while running at top speeds. In spine flexion, when the cat’s legs are directly underneath its body, the scapula and hip are able to rotate to such an extreme angle that the cheetah’s front and hind legs overlap. To reach extension, the spine recoils like a spring propelling the cheetah’s legs out; it is this portion of the gait where the cheetah is able to reach strides up to 25 feet. Lastly, the cheetah is equipped with blunt, semi-retractable claws, which function similarly to soccer cleats. Since its claws never fully retract, like other big cats, they are always at-the-ready to provide powerful traction to the ground.
Observing the cheetah’s gait in slow motion makes the dynamics of the flexible spine easily detectable. You’ll notice that only one foot at time makes contact with the ground all the while, the cheetah’s gaze is unfaltering – it is locked and loaded on its prey. See the claws? Unlike other big cats, they only partially retract. Watch all the way through for bonus behind-the-scenes footage.
Being built for speed comes at a price in the bush. Their lightweight bodies and blunt claws are no match for the strength and aggression of others predators such as lions or leopards. If faced to defend itself or its kill, a cheetah would utilize the flight defense instead of fighting. This is one of the many factors challenging female cheetahs, who raise their cubs on their own. Only 10% of cheetah cubs raised in the Serengeti survive to maturity due to the dense population of predators.
Like other wildlife, cheetahs are facing obstacles such as habitat loss and human conflict
Population
There are estimated to be only 7,100 cheetahs left in the wild, and their future remains uncertain across their range.
Cheetahs are listed as “Vulnerable” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, but after a recent study revealed significant population declines, scientists are calling for cheetahs to be uplisted to “Endangered.” In North Africa and Asia, they are considered “Critically Endangered.”
Main threats
Cheetahs are frequently killed by farmers, either preemptively or in retaliation for livestock predation, even though the actual damage they cause to livestock is relatively minor.
Cheetahs are profoundly affected by loss of prey from human hunting and the development of land for agricultural and other purposes.
Direct hunting in some parts of Africa for skins contributes to cheetah population declines, as does the illegal trade in live cubs and adults, many of which die during transport.
ESMEDIA Cheetah
Cheetah Jaguar Leopard Lion Puma Snow Leopard Tiger
Widely known as the planet’s fastest land animal, the Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is also the least dangerous big cat. Today, there are estimated to be only 7,100 cheetahs left in the wild – and their future remains uncertain.
IUCN Red List Status
Least concern Near threatened Vulnerable Endangered Critically endangered
Status on CITES Appendices
79%Cheetahs have vanished from approximately 90 percent of their historic range in Africa, and are extinct in Asia except for a single, isolated population of perhaps 50 individuals in central Iran. 79% of all cheetah populations contain 100 or fewer individual
Population
There are estimated to be only 7,100 cheetahs left in the wild, and their future remains uncertain across their range.
Cheetahs are listed as “Vulnerable” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, but after a recent study revealed significant population declines, scientists are calling for cheetahs to be uplisted to “Endangered.” In North Africa and Asia, they are considered “Critically Endangered.”
Main threats
Cheetahs are frequently killed by farmers, either preemptively or in retaliation for livestock predation, even though the actual damage they cause to livestock is relatively minor.
Cheetahs are profoundly affected by loss of prey from human hunting and the development of land for agricultural and other purposes.
Direct hunting in some parts of Africa for skins contributes to cheetah population declines, as does the illegal trade in live cubs and adults, many of which die during transport.
Conservation efforts
Cheetah has been protected under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 1 July 1975 which means commercial international trade in wild-sourced cheetah is prohibited.
The low density of cheetahs throughout their range means they require conservation action on a scale that is seldom seen in terrestrial conservation. This includes transboundary cooperation, land use planning across large landscapes to maintain habitat connectivity, and human wildlife conflict mitigation. Most cheetah range (76%) is on unprotected lands where they are often persecuted in retaliation for livestock or game depredation.
In Africa, nearly all range states are actively involved with the Range Wide Conservation Program for Cheetah and African Wild Dogs (RWCP). As well as providing a regional framework, these strategies also provide a framework for national conservation action planning.
There are also a number of different projects established across southern and eastern Africa that are either dedicated specifically to the conservation and research of cheetah, or to the guild of large carnivores. Many of these projects carry out important site-based conservation activities that benefit cheetah, and some also provide support for capacity development of national wildlife authorities.
In Iran, the Asiatic cheetah is completely protected. The main protected areas for this species are Kavir National Park, Khar Touran National Park, Naybandan Wildlife Refuge, Bafgh Protected Area and Dar Anjir Wildlife Refuge Cheetah
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