Tanzania - Cheetah

The cheetah actually gets its name from the Hindi word “chita”, which means “spotted one”. Ironically, the Cheetahs are extinct in India. Over the last 50 years, this beautiful animal has gone extinct in 13 countries around the world. They are now found in a few countries in Africa including Tanzania. 

We had the great privilege of seeing a female Cheetah with her two cubs in Serengeti. They were hidden in some shrubs. We watched them for some time. They came out of the shrubs. The mother walked with her two cubs for a short distance and hid in another set of shrubs some distance away. 

Cheetahs are the fastest land animal in the world. They can run at a speed of 75 miles per hour. They can also accelerate at a very fast pace, with the speed going from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 3 seconds. To enable them to run at this high speed, their hinds legs are shorter. 

Their habitat is mostly the Savanah grasslands. Their coat is covered with spots. They have upto 2000 spots on their body which form unique patterns. Each cheetah can be identified by the way their spots have formed the pattern. These spots also help the cheetah hide among the grasses as their pattern is camouflaged by the colour of the grass. 

While the females are known to be solitary, unless she has her cubs, the males are known to be social with 3 to 4 male cheetahs forming a coalition. 

Cheetahs can give birth to 2 to 8 cubs at a time. Unfortunately, they have a high mortality rate, both in the wild and in captivity. Added to this, cheetah cubs are easy prey to predators like the lions. Though the mother can run fast to save herself, the cubs cannot. 

Cheetahs don’t roar but meow. They are also know to growl, hiss or let out a yelp depending on their situation. 

In addition to being excellent runners, cheetahs also have excellent eyesight which allows them to spot a prey from 3 miles away. They have a black tear mark called malar stripes that runs from their eyes to the sides of their face. This feature takes the glare away from the sunlight and prevents the same from obstructing their vision. 

Other interesting facts about Cheetah are that they hunt during the day. They live upto 10 years in the wild. They can go upto 10 days without water. They are not natural climbers as their body is built to run but not climb trees.