Physical Description
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In
Hindi cheetah means spotted one .
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The
base color of the upper parts of an adult is brown to block blunt or grayish
white, and the underparts are paler, often white. The coat is marked by round or
oval black spots measuring .75 to 1.5 in. in diameter.
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The
only exception to this is when recessive genes are inherited from both parents
resulting in a more spotted coat pattern.
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Cheetahs exhibiting this rare change were once thought to be a separate
subspecies, but it is now known that they can appear in a litter of normal
cheetahs.
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Only
the white of the throat and the abdomen are unmarked with spots.
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The
coat is uneven with the hair slightly longer at the nape than elswhere.
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The
last third of the tail is marked by four to six black rings and a bushy white
tuft at the very end. The tail rings are distinctive on each cheetah and enable
individual identification.
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The
cheetah has a small head with short ears, high set eyes and a black line which
looks like a tear drop running from the inner aspect of each eye down to the
mouth.
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The
teeth are small and the nasal passages are large. The body resembles that of a
greyhound and is slim with very long legs. An adult cheetah measures 67 to 94
cm.
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tall at
the shoulder, and is 121 to 150 cm. in length, with an additional 70 to 81 cm.
in tail length. The cheetah exhibits slight sexual dimorphism with the males
being the larger sex.
Reproduction
Females are fertile, with an
average cycle of twelve days.
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The number of young born can be one
to eight, but is usually three to five. |
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At birth cubs are on average 11.8
inches long and weigh 0.6 pounds. |
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They are gray in color and have a
mantle of mane-like hair along their back. |
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It has been assumed that this
mantle helps camouflage the cheetah cubs in the grass. |
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The mantle begins to disappear at
three months. |
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It may still be seen at 2 years of
age. |
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During the first few weeks of life
the cubs are moved every few days by their mother to avoid predators.
|
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The mother must leave the cubs
alone to hunt. |
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During these times cubs often fall
victim to predators. |
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Infant death rates may be as high
as 90%. This is because majority of them are being killed by lions.
|
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Cubs begin to follow their mother
at 6 weeks of age. |
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Cubs are stopped at three to six
months. |
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The cubs usually remain with their
mother for 13 to 20 months, |
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During which time she teaches them
to hunt. |
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Sexual maturity is reached at 2
years of age. |
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Female cheetah are solitary, except
when they have a litter. |
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Young females leave their natural
group, but usually occupy the same home range as their mother. |
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Sibling males will often leave
their natural group together and form groups. |
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They seek out an area a great
distance from their mother. |
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It has been suggested that male
groups help one another in hunting and defending a territory. |
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Male groups claim a range which may
overlap several female territories. |
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Unrelated males are sometimes
accepted into groups. |
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It is rare to see a lone male.
|
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The only time a lone male can
protect a region is if there are no groups in the area. |
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Males and females mix only to mate. |
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The males do not participate in
cub childhood. |
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Life span in the wild can be up to
14 years. |
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The average lifespan is 7 years of
age. |
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Cheetah hunt in early morning and
late afternoon (diurnal) which is during daytime. |
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They scan the country side from a
tree limb, on top of a termite mound, or even the roofs of cars of observers
in order to locate prey. |
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Once they have located an animal
that has orphaned some distance from the group, the cheetah tries to get
within fifty yards of the intended victim before increasing. |
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Full sprints last roughly twenty
seconds and rarely go beyond one minute. |
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Most hunts fail. |
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If the hunt is successful, the prey
is usually knocked down by the force of the cheetah's charge and then tied
down by its throat and strangled. |
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Smaller prey such as rabbits are
usually killed by biting through the skull. |
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A female with cubs may make a kill
every day. |
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Adult cheetah’s hunt every two to
five days. |
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Cheetah eat fast because if
challenged for their food, they most often lose. |