Fun Facts About Cheetahs for Kids
Fun Facts About Cheetahs for Kids: Cheetahs are large cats that can run extremely fast in their habitat. They mainly live in Africa, south of the Sahara. They live in savannahs, hilly deserts, shrublands, and grasslands. Cheetahs prefer open areas with good visibility.
- Their primary prey is medium-sized ungulates: gazelles, impalas, springboks, and smaller antelopes. Giraffes, zebras, and ostriches are too big for them.
- Their special characteristics are spotted fur, tear marks, a slim body, and long, slim legs.
- They are the fastest land animals in the world. Cheetahs reach speeds of 50–75 mph (80–120 km/h). Their average hunting speed is about 33 mph (54 km/h), though.
- They have strong but lightweight and slim bodies.
- Their spine is very flexible. They reach 20–25 feet in one stride.
- They have an enlarged heart, lungs, and large nasal passages.
- Cheetahs usually hunt throughout the day. Cheetahs stalk their prey. When they are as close as 200–230 feet (60–70 meters), they start the chase.
- While running, cheetahs can quickly change their direction. But they can only maintain their speed for a few seconds.
- Females are mostly solitary. When the cubs are grown up, they separate.
- Contrary to most big cats, they are active during the day.
- Cheetahs primarily rely on their vision. They have a good sense of smell and very good hearing, too.
- Cheetahs can climb, but they are not as skilled as leopards.
- Cheetahs can’t defend themselves. They protect themselves by running away. They have to surrender at least 10–15% of their kills to other predators.
- Their enemies are lions (mainly), leopards, hyenas, and eagles.
- Only about 5% of cheetah cubs survive to adulthood.
- Cheetahs usually live 10–15 years.
- The African subspecies are considered “vulnerable” or even “endangered”.
Final Words:
There is one Asian subspecies. It is critically endangered. There are only 60–100 animals left. The global population is estimated at only around 6,600 animals. We hope you have liked the post Fun Facts about Cheetahs for Kids. You can share this post with your friends and relatives.
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