Sunday Jukani animal Facts
Come back next week for more exciting fun facts from SAASA and Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary here on Lets Go Big Tunes blog pageThis post is sponsored by SAASA and Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary
Fun Facts about Cheetahs
Cheetah – fun facts
1 - Cheetahs are part of the big cat family and while they can't climb trees, they can run faster than any other land animal – they are therefore the fastest land animal in the world. The cheetah has a top speed of about 120 kilometres per hour. However, they are mainly sprinters and can only maintain this speed for short bursts of time. Their respiratory and circulatory systems are designed for speed. Their heart, lungs, and nasal passages are much larger than you would expect for a cat their size. The Cheetahs long muscular tails have a flat shape that is used for balance and steering. The tail essentially acts like a rudder on a boat. During the chase for prey, a cheetah trips its meal and suffocates it.
2 - The black tear lines on either side of a cheetah's nose function like a football player's black face paint, keeping the sun out of the big cat's eyes while they hunt.
3 - The Cheetah is not one of the Big Cats, because it does not have a floating Hyoid bone in its neck it cannot roar, therefore it is a Lesser Cat.
4 - Cheetahs have between 2,000 and 3,000 spots, which help them to camouflage themselves.
5 - Cheetahs have evolved to live in an environment where water is scarce and can survive on one drink every three to four days.
6 - Cheetahs are the only wild cats, other than lions, that live in groups. These groups of cheetahs are known as “coalitions’” and are usually made up of a group of brothers. Female cheetahs that have cubs are usually solitary animals. However, if the female isn’t currently rearing cubs she might hang out with other cheetahs, most often her own brothers or sisters. Whilst sociable, the males can be extremely territorial and urinate on plants and trees to mark their land.
7 - The name ‘cheetah’ comes from Sanskrit word ‘variegated’.
8 - A cheetah has semi-retractable claws, like the Fishing Cat, Flat-Headed Cat and the Iriomote Cat.
9 - During chase, the cheetah can take up to 150 breaths per minute.
10 - The Cheetah is the only species of its genus, Acinonyx. There are five subspecies, two of which, the Asiatic and Northwest African cheetah, are classified as critically endangered. The other three, the South African, Sudanese and Tanzanian Cheetah have higher population numbers, which have declined in recent years.
Come back next week for more exciting fun facts from SAASA and Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary here on Lets Go Big Tunes blog page