Murad R. Habib: The cheetah

The scientific name of cheetahs is acinonyx jubatus - which means a long-legged spotted cat.

In this publishing I will share with you some cool facts about the cheetahs, some of which you already know. Cheetahs are amazing animals to observe while on safari, unlike lions and leopards, they are more active during the day. This is the fastest land animal in the world, and seeing it in full sprint is spectacular. They can reach up to 112 kp/h in less than 3 seconds. Cheetahs are light weight, with long and slender bodies, perfectly built for sprinting and their long tail helps them balance while on a full sprint.

Cheetahs have a pale yellow coat with black dots and their underbelly is white. Their faces are distinguished by the prominent 'tear drop marks', black lines that curve from the inner corner of each eye to the outer corners of the mouth.

Cheetahs social life is flexible and complex. They are not solitary neither do they form big families. Females are usually solitary, while the males tend to be solitary but can be found in coalitions of between 2 to 6 males, often brothers. Females lead a nomadic life, often venturing into different home ranges with different dominant males. Males and females mainly interact during the short mating season. The females have an estrous (when they come to heat) cycle of around 12 days on average, but this can vary from 3 days to a month. Females mainly conceive again after 17 to 20 months from giving birth, or even sooner if a whole litter is lost. After a gestation of nearly 3 months, a litter of one to eight cubs is born with the births taking place at 20–25 minute intervals in a sheltered place such as thick vegetation. The cubs eyes are shut at birth, and open after 4 to 11 days, and after 2 weeks the cubs start to walk.

Cheetahs don't roar, but they are know to purr. Cheetahs chirp or stutter barking (an intense bird-like call and lasts less than a second) or chur while communicating.

Sadly, this beautiful animal is threatened by loss of habitat and prey, as well as conflict with humans. Cheetahs are classified as 'Vulnerable' on the IUCN Red list (The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species). Today, an estimated 7,100 cheetahs remain in Africa.