CHEETAH

Name: Cheetah
Scientific name: Acinonyx jubatus
Geographic Range: subsaharan Africa and Northern Iran
Habitat: Open grassland with many elevated points
Status: Endangered
Diet in the wild: small antelope - springbok, steenbok, duikers, impala and gazelle; young warthogs, kudu, hartebeest, oryx, roan and sable; also game birds and rabbits
Diet in the zoo: Carnivorous Diet
Location: Cheetah Exhibit



Physical Description

An adult cheetah weighs 80-140 pounds, is about 32 inches tall at the shoulder and 48-56 inches long from head to body with another 28-32 inches in tail - males are a little larger than females. The adult fur is yellow or tan with solid black round or oval spots measuring .75 to 1.5 inches in diameter over nearly the entire body. The head is small with eyes set high and a black "tear mark" running from the inner aspect of each eye down to the mouth. The teeth are small to accommodate large nasal passages. The throat and abdomen are white and the tail ends with 4-6 black rings and a bushy, white tuft.

We can identify cheetahs by distinctive individual ring patterns on their tails. Their legs are long and the paws are small with non-retractable claws and special paw pads that provide great traction. Cheetahs are sometimes mistaken for leopards which are much heavier animals with rosette shaped spots and no tear marks.


General Information

"Cheetah" comes from a Hindi word meaning "spotted one." Two groups exist in wild populations: the family group and males. Males, often siblings, form a group of 2 or 3; rarely 1 will live alone. This group will live and hunt together for life and claims a range which may overlap several female territories. Male territories may be as large as 300 square miles. Young females, however, usually occupy the same range as their mother although all females are solitary except when they have a litter.

Males and females mix only to mate; the males do not participate in cub-raising. Following a gestation period about 93 days a litter may contain 2 to 8 cubs. At birth cubs are about 12 inches long and weigh about 0.6 pounds. They are gray color with a mantle of hair along the back, which helps camouflage the cub in grass, but it begins to disappear at 3 months. Only a small number reach adulthood: lions and hyenas are their worst enemies. The mother moves the cubs every few days to avoid those predators. The young stay with the mother for 16-24 months.