Cheetah

Nyika: Female, born April 22, 2000 at the Wassenaar Wildlife Breeding Centre in the Netherlands.

Kira and Kashi are Nyika’s daughters, born at White Oak Conservation Center in Florida on August 31, 2010. The family arrived at the Zoo on April 10, 2012.

Viewing Hints

Most active in the early morning.

Where to find me in the Zoo

Cheetah Exhibit at south end Zoo—next to the maned wolves.

Fun Facts

• The cheetah is the fastest mammal on land, capable of speed burst of up to 70 mph (112 kph). Cheetahs can reach 45 mph (72 kph) in 2 seconds or 2 strides. The cheetah is the fourth fastest of all animals. The only faster animals are birds; the golden eagle, the peregrine falcon and the Indian swift.
• Although the cheetah has great speed, it can only sustain it for a short while. It can sustain its highest speed for about 300 yards, which is the length of 3 football fields.
• Due to its small size, the cheetah usually surrenders its kill to larger predators like lions and hyenas.

Ask an Expert

The cheetah has a small head, high set eyes and small, flattened ears. It has distinctive tear stripes from the corner of its eyes down the side of its nose. The cheetah's legs are very long in relation to their body, and their back is very flexible. The cheetah's habitat varies from semi-desert to open grasslands and thick bush.

Longevity

A typical lifespan for cheetahs in zoos is 12-15 years. The lifespan for this cat in the wild may be 10-12 years.

Reproduction

Cheetahs breed throughout the year, and their gestation lasts 91-95 days. Litter size can range from 3-5 cubs. A cub’s birth weight is 5.3 to 14 ounces (150-400 kg). It may take 5-10 days to open their eyes. Cheetahs reach sexual maturity at about 21 months.

Behavior

Except for lions, cheetahs are more social than any other big cat. Although females are solitary, males often live in groups. Cats from the same litter tend to remain together with unrelated males sometimes joining the group.

Adaptations

The cheetah is the fastest mammal on land, capable of speed burst of up to 70 mph (112 kph). Their body has many adapted features for achieving this speed; large thigh muscles, long limbs, tightly bound tibia and fibula, reduced clavicle and a flexible spine for increased stride length. The cheetah can maintain this high speed for approximately 300 yards (274 m). They have blunt, partly curved, unsheathed  claws which provide additional traction during rapid acceleration.

The cheetah has small upper canine teeth with small roots on the side of its nasal passages. This enables the cheetah to breath while maintaining a suffocating bite. The cheetah hunts and eats late in the morning and early in the evening, thus avoiding conflict with lions and leopards that hunt at other times.

Size

Males are slightly larger than females.

Weight

A cheetah may weigh between 37-110 pounds(17-50 kg).

Diet

Cheetahs are strict carnivores, meaning they only eat meat. In the wild cheetahs typically hunt in the early morning and just before dusk, they will take a variety of prey, but most commonly they pick the young and the weak. At the Zoo, cheetahs are fed a base diet that includes a commercial raw meat mix which contains the nutrients essential for the animal’s well being. Solid beef is added to the diet for training and beef long bones are offered for the cats to chew on and carry around. The bones provide an enjoyed activity for the animals while strengthening their jaw muscles.

Geographic Range

Cheetahs are found in the continent of Africa, south of the Sahara—with the largest concentration in Namibia. Cheetahs are also found in Iran.