Cheetah description of the animal. Rare Asiatic cheetahs feast on pets. Habitat loss and fragmentation

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) - carnivorous mammal cat family. Full classification: subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammals, or Beasts (Mammalia), subclass Real Beasts (Theria), order Carnivora, family Felidae, the only representative of the genus.

The body length from the head to the back of the thighs is 110 - 150 cm, the tail is 65 - 90 cm, the height at the withers is 79-100 cm, the average weight of the animal is 43 kg (male) and 38 kg (female). This animal is so unique that it stands out as a separate subfamily. By appearance and the body structure of the cheetah is more reminiscent of a long-legged dog than a cat. Literally translated, the word “cheetah” means “dog-cat,” which accurately conveys the state of affairs. The cheetah's body structure is similar to a wolf, only its skin is spotted and its muzzle is like a cat's. He doesn't even roar like a tiger, but only yelps like a dog. His body is somewhat shortened and more elevated above the ground compared to the body of cats.

The cheetah is the fastest-footed animal on Earth. When catching up with prey, it can reach speeds of up to 120 km/h over short distances (up to 500 m). The cheetah is well adapted to this method of hunting: it has a dry, lean body with a small head and long, slender, thin, but at the same time strong legs, the claws of which do not retract, like those of other cats, and the long, strong tail acts as a balancer when running. This beast is capable of jumping up to eight meters.

The African cheetah is born with a mane on its head, but it disappears over time. Black tear streaks stretch from his eyes to his upper jaw, and this gives rise to the apparent sadness of his muzzle. The cheetah's fur is short and sparse. A small mane is developed. The general color tone is yellowish, sandy. Small dark solid spots are densely scattered throughout the skin, except for the belly.

The cheetah goes hunting mainly during the day or at dusk, less often at night, having previously rested in a den, under a bush or in the grass. They live alone or in pairs, except when raising young animals. The cheetah has keen eyesight, and at a distance of up to 1500 m it can see a herd of ungulates that it hunts: gazelles, goitered gazelles and other small antelopes, sometimes argali; it also feeds on hares, small animals and birds. The cheetah never eats carrion. Having eaten his fill of the prey he has just killed, he leaves the carcass for the birds and jackals.

A cheetah's pregnancy lasts 84-95 days. There are 2-4 cubs in a litter. They are born blind and uniformly colored. The spotted pattern appears later. The timing of breeding is unknown, but in May and September in Turkmenistan, females with cubs (the size of a domestic cat or slightly larger) are found. In zoos, young cheetahs reach sexual maturity at three years of age.

Until recently, cheetahs were very widespread - almost throughout Africa, Western and Central Asia, in Southern Kazakhstan and Transcaucasia. Currently, cheetahs have survived mainly in Africa, only occasionally they are found in Iran and Afghanistan, and from the territory of Central Asia, apparently, they have completely disappeared. Cheetahs inhabit savannas, grassy plains, clayey and sandy deserts.

As a rare animal, the cheetah has no commercial significance and needs full protection throughout its range. The number of cheetahs in Africa reached 8-25 thousand individuals by 1971, according to various studies. In the Asian part of its range, the cheetah has disappeared completely or, perhaps, survived as a single species in Iran (in 1974 there were about 250 individuals) and, possibly, in Northern Afghanistan. The cheetah is listed on the IUCN Red List. A subspecies of cheetah - the Asiatic cheetah (jubatus venaticus) was included in the Red Book of the USSR, perhaps now does not exist at all.

There are five subspecies of cheetahs in Africa:

Acinonyx jubatus jubatus - in South Africa, 500 individuals;
Acinonyx jubatus raineyi - in Kenya, less than 3000 individuals;
Acinonyx jubatus ngorongorensis - in Tanzania and Zaire;
Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii - from Nigeria to Somalia;

Acinonyx jubatus hecki - in Algeria.

And two subspecies of cheetah in Asia:

Acinonyx jubatus raddei - on Caspian lowland, extremely rare, perhaps already extinct;
Acinonyx jubatus venaticus - from India and the Middle East, less than 200.

The Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) disappeared a long time ago in India, then in Afghanistan and Pakistan, ceased to be found in the Central Asian republics, and from time to time there were rumors of its isolated sightings in Iran. Dr. Mahmoud Karami presented fresh evidence of the existence of this species in Iran. He and his staff encountered cheetahs and their tracks in the provinces of Markazi, Fars and Khorasan. Irrefutable evidence of the modern existence of the Asiatic cheetah can be found in a male cub that was sold at the bazaar and ended up in the Mashad Zoo. If there are only a few individuals of the Asiatic cheetah left in Iran, then, according to M. Karami, their future is bleak.

In ancient times, cheetahs were domesticated, trained and used for hunting in Iran and the Mongol Empire. Hunting cheetahs were also known in Kievan Rus. Russian princes were very fond of hunting with cheetahs. The ancient rulers of India and Assyria organized cheetah competitions. This was considered real royal fun.

There are still no known cases of cheetah attacks on humans. But man was always cruel to them. Excessive hunting of the leopard has brought it to the brink of complete extinction.

King cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus).

In 1981, a new cheetah mutation called royal was noted at the DeWildt Cheetah Center (South Africa). Cheetahs with this coloration are extremely rare in nature. That year, a king cheetah was born in captivity for the first time. In terms of body structure, it is no different from an ordinary cheetah, but its coloring contains particularly large markings, and all the spots are connected in a pattern. The first king cheetah was discovered in 1926 in Zimbabwe and was initially mistaken for a new species of cheetah. Only 50 years later, in 1974, the first photograph was taken ( National Park Kruger). At first it was believed that it was a hybrid of a cheetah and a leopard, but genetic tests disproved this theory.

Royal cheetahs can interbreed with ordinary cheetahs, resulting in full-fledged offspring. A royal-colored cub can be born from normal-colored parents. The diet of cheetahs is dominated by small prey - Grant's and Thompson's gazelles, impala antelopes, hares and birds. They eat only that part of the prey that they can eat at one time and do not return to the remains of the carcass because they are not able to defend it. Cheetahs are fast, but not strong. Unlike many cats, the cheetah does not eat carrion; it feeds only on fresh prey.

Ecology

The Asiatic cheetah, one of the rarest animals on the planet, is trying to attack livestock in areas where food supplies are in wildlife are drying up, new research shows.

An international team of scientists working in Iran examined what these animals eat in areas where their numbers are declining due to poaching. Big cats have been found to prey on domestic animals as they cannot survive on small prey. To save cheetahs it is necessary to protect them from poachers and conflicts with local farmers.

The Asiatic cheetah is an extremely rare subspecies of cheetah that is found in Asia. It was believed that these animals were able to survive by feeding on rabbits and hares in areas where medium-sized ungulates had already become extinct. However, research has shown that this is not the case.

Scientists spent 5 years studying cheetahs in two reserves in northeastern Iran, near the border with Turkmenistan. Previously wild ungulates, including gazelles, wild sheep and goats, have disappeared in these places.

Having analyzed the excrement big cats, scientists were able to understand what cheetahs eat in these places. Research has shown that although rabbits and hares are part of the diet of cheetahs, they do not provide them with the necessary dose nutrients. Cheetahs prefer medium-sized herbivores and will attack livestock if necessary.

The researchers reported that local herders may be completely unaware that their livestock is being attacked by Asiatic cheetahs, as these animals are very rare. However, in order to avoid future conflicts with local authorities, the researchers recommend introducing additional laws against poaching, as well as somehow improving the reserves so that rare cheetahs do not disappear from these places forever.

Asiatic cheetahs in Iran can be compared to pandas in China or tigers in India as symbols of wildlife conservation. Some experts claim that there were only 200 individuals living in Iran in the 1970s, and today there are no more than 70 Asiatic cheetahs left in the wild.

Niramin - Dec 14th, 2015

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) lives in savannas and desert landscapes of Africa, as well as in certain regions of Asia. This predator looks like most representatives of the cat family, but is in many ways similar to a dog and even suffers from “canine” diseases. The cheetah's coat, dotted with small dark spots, resembles the coat of a short-haired dog, but has a cream color.

An adult cheetah, like a dog, is not able to retract its claws. Only his cubs have paws like those of a cat, and they can climb trees. The animal's long, strong limbs are similar to those of a dog. Like her, the cheetah pursues prey, but unlike a dog, it develops a speed of more than 100 km/h. An adult cheetah weighing up to 65 kg has a body length of about 140 cm. A massive tail, up to 80 cm long, like a cat’s, allows the animal to maintain balance when running rapidly. During the hunt, the predator approaches the victim like a cat at a minimum distance, after which it instantly takes off, pursuing its prey. The predator has excellent eyesight. Therefore, it looks out for its prey for a long time.

The cheetah feeds mainly on young ungulates, mainly gazelles and antelopes, birds and hares, as well as African wild boars and warthogs.

The hunting abilities of this sprinter have long been used by humans. Unlike many predators, the cheetah is easily tamed. He literally becomes attached to a person and gets along with him. In ancient times, the rulers of India, Assyria and the ancient Egyptians went hunting with trained cheetahs. Images of a tame cheetah can also be seen on the frescoes St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. IN Ancient Rus' such cheetahs were called pardus.

Nowadays, the number of these dexterous predators has sharply decreased. For many years, people not only used the “services” of the cheetah when hunting, but also destroyed the animal themselves because of its beautiful fur. Currently, these animals are preserved only in small areas of Africa. They have almost disappeared in Asia. IN last years The cheetah is listed in the Red Book and taken under protection.

Look beautiful photos the fastest and most graceful predator - the cheetah:

Photo: Female cheetah with kittens.













Photo: A couple of young cheetahs.













Photo: Cheetah tail as a stabilizer.
Photo: A young cheetah trying to climb a tree.



Photo: A cheetah chases a young gazelle.













Photo: Cheetah in a jump.

Video: Cheetah:Fatal Instinct-Cheetah:Fatal Instinct,NatGeoWild

Video: Cheetah shocked tourists

Video: Friendly Cheetah.affectionate cheetah

Video: Cheetah hunting with its owner

Video: Cheetah runs at a speed of 120 km per hour

This small predator - the cheetah's body length does not exceed 130 centimeters - hunts antelope, as well as more small mammals and birds. Cheetahs are considered the most fast cats and the fastest land creatures. They can reach speeds of up to 110 kilometers per hour.

The cheetah is widespread in Africa, India, South-West, Western and Central Asia. Currently Asiatic cheetah practically disappeared. IN Saudi Arabia predator last time sighted in 1950, the last cheetah in India was killed in 1955. It is rarely found in Armenia and Azerbaijan. They were last seen in Turkmenistan in the 1960s. Of the entire vast range in Asia, only small area in Iran.

In Africa, the cheetah has survived only in remote places or in protected areas. On cheetah protection The world community has risen up, and it is listed in the International Red Book as an animal that is in danger of complete extinction. Whether it will be possible to preserve this predator in the wild now depends only on humans.

The cheetah's body is slender, with developed muscles and practically no fat deposits, it seems fragile. The cheetah has a small head, high-set eyes and small rounded ears. The color is sandy-yellow, with small black spots scattered throughout the body, and thin black stripes on the sides of the muzzle. The weight of an adult cheetah is 40-65 kg, body length is from 115 to 140 cm, a rather massive tail is up to 80 cm long.

Cheetahs hunt mainly small ungulates - gazelles, impalas, wildebeest calves - as well as hares. Cheetahs usually hunt early in the morning or in the evening, when it is no longer very hot, but there is still enough light. They navigate more by sight than by smell.

Unlike other felines, cheetahs hunt by stalking prey rather than by ambush. First, they approach the chosen victim at a distance of about 10 meters, and then try to catch it in a short race. In pursuit of the victim, it reaches speeds of up to 110-115 km/h, accelerating to 75 km/h in 2 seconds. The animal runs in jumps 6-8 m long, spending less than 0.5 seconds on each jump. The cheetah is also capable of quickly changing the direction of its run. Prey is usually knocked down with a blow from the paw and then strangled. If in a short time the cheetah fails to overtake its prey, it refuses to continue the hunt, because due to the enormous energy consumption it is incapable of a long chase. A race rarely lasts more than a minute. Despite high speed, about half of the chases end unsuccessfully.

In Africa, the cheetah is the weakest large predators. Hyenas, leopards and lions can take prey from cheetahs, taking advantage of the fact that a cheetah needs up to half an hour to rest after a chase.

Cheetahs almost went extinct during the last ice age. Living cheetahs are closely related, so they show signs of genetic degeneration caused by inbreeding. For example, cheetahs have very high level infant mortality: up to 70% of cubs do not survive to one year.

Pregnancy in cheetahs lasts 85-95 days, from two to five kittens are born. Kittens remain with their mother for 13 to 20 months.

In the wild, cheetahs live on average up to 20, sometimes up to 25 years; in zoos - much longer.

Using a cheetah for hunting.

The cheetah's great natural hunting abilities, peaceful disposition and easy tameability have prompted hunters in many countries since ancient times. use a cheetah as a hunting animal.

The first information about the use of cheetahs for hunting dates back to 1580-1345 BC. In ancient Thebes, images of two cheetahs kept on leashes were found. Many centuries ago, cheetahs were hunted in many Asian countries. Hunting with cheetahs was especially grandiose in India, where it became most widespread in the 16th and early 17th centuries.

The size of the hunt can be judged by the fact that Khan Akbar during his reign kept up to 1000 cheetahs at a time - they were caught with loops of antelope tendons placed near the trees on which the animals came to sharpen their claws.

The first mention of hunting with cheetahs in Europe dates back to 439 AD, when two hunting cheetah, with which he hunted deer. The news has been preserved that in 1100, when the Lombard crusaders approached Constantinople, the Greeks released lions and cheetahs kept in the palace on them, and the latter did not attack the attackers.

Byzantine miniatures of the 12th-13th centuries often depicted hunting with cheetahs, especially deer and fallow deer. European feudal lords kept cheetahs for hunting and set up “leoparderies” - special premises where the animals were kept. Trainers and other personnel caring for the animals were present with the predators. In France, people hunted with cheetahs already in the 11th century.

During the Renaissance in this country, cheetahs were so common on the estates of the lords that they are mentioned in most literary works of the time and are often depicted in tapestries.

There are many historical information about hunting with cheetahs in Italy. Thus, Frederick II, Emperor of the Roman Empire, had a leoparderia in the castle of Lucera in Apulia. Cheetahs were delivered to him from North Africa. Louis XII hunted hares and roe deer with cheetahs in the Amboise forest. Hunting with cheetahs in Europe required large expenses for the acquisition and maintenance of hunting animals and was available only to large feudal lords. As the feudal states died out, hunting with these predators became more rare and ceased around the beginning of the 18th century.

In the Middle Ages, hunting with cheetahs was practiced in Kievan Rus and the Principality of Moscow, and in the territory of modern Central Asian and Transcaucasian states and in Kazakhstan it existed until the 19th century inclusive. In Ancient Rus', the cheetah was called “pardus”, and the people involved in their training were called “pardusniks”.

Acinonyx jubatus) - a predatory mammal, belongs to the cat family, genus cheetah ( Acinonyx). Today this is the only surviving species. The cheetah is the fastest animal in the world: when chasing prey, it reaches speeds of up to 112 kilometers per hour.

Cheetah - description, structure, characteristics

The cheetah's body is elongated, rather slender and graceful, but, despite its apparent fragility, the animal has well-developed muscles. The mammal's legs are long, thin and strong, the claws on the paws do not fully retract when walking and running, which is not at all typical for felines. The cheetah's head is small, with small, rounded ears.

The body length of the cheetah varies from 1.23 m to 1.5 m, while the length of the tail can reach 63-75 cm, and the height at the withers is on average 60-100 cm. The weight of the cheetah ranges from 40 to 65-70 kg.

The short, relatively thin fur of the cheetah is sandy-yellow in color, with dark spots evenly scattered throughout the entire skin, with the exception of the belly. various shapes and size. Sometimes in the area of ​​the head and withers there is a kind of mane of short, coarse hair. On the face, from the inner corners of the eyes to the mouth, there are black stripes - “tear marks”, which help the cheetah to better focus its gaze on prey during the hunt, and also reduce the risk of being blinded by bright lights. sunlight.

How long does a cheetah live?

IN natural environment In their habitat, cheetahs live 20, less often 25 years. Under excellent conditions in captivity, the life expectancy of these predators can increase significantly.

Where does the cheetah live?

The cheetah is a typical representative of such natural areas like deserts and savannas with flat topography. The animal prefers open areas. The cheetah lives mainly in Africa, in countries such as Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Somalia and Sudan, as well as in Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Chad, Ethiopia, Central African Republic and South Africa. The predators have also been reintroduced into Swaziland. In Asia, the cheetah has been practically exterminated, and if found, it is in very small populations (in Iran).

What is the difference between a cheetah and a leopard?

Leopard and cheetah are animals that belong to the class mammals, order carnivores, and the cat family. belongs to the genus of panthers, cheetah - to the genus of cheetahs. There are a number of differences between these two predators:

• The body of cheetahs and leopards is slender, flexible, and the tail is long. The cheetah's body length reaches 123-150 cm, the leopard's body length is 91-180 cm. The length of the cheetah's tail reaches 63-75 cm, the leopard's tail is much longer and is 75-110 cm.
• An important difference between a cheetah and a leopard is the running speed of the animals. The cheetah is faster than the leopard; when chasing prey, the cheetah runs at speeds of up to 112 km/h. The leopard is noticeably slower, its speed at short distances reaches 60 km/h.
• The cheetah almost never drags its prey up a tree, but the leopard has this habit.
• The leopard's claws are retractable, like those of all cats; The cheetah's claws are partially retractable.
• The cheetah is a diurnal predator, while the leopard prefers to be active at dusk or at night.
• Hunting in a pack is normal for a cheetah, while a leopard is a solitary predator.
• On the cheetah's face there are characteristic black stripes, tear marks, that run from the corners of the eyes to the mouth. The leopard does not have such marks.
• The spots on the skin of a cheetah are clear, but do not form patterns with strict contours. In a leopard, the pattern on the skin is usually collected in spots in the form of rosettes, and the spots can also be solid.
• Leopard cubs are born with spots on their skin, while cheetah kittens have no spots at birth.
• The cheetah's habitat is savannas and deserts, and the predator prefers flat areas. Leopard lives in tropical and subtropical forests, in the mountains, in coastal thickets of rivers, as well as in savannas.
• The modern habitat of the leopard is much wider than that of the cheetah. If the cheetah lives only in African countries, and only a few populations live in Iran, then the leopard is distributed not only in African countries south of the Sahara, but also on the islands of Java and Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Pakistan, northern and southern China, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Far East near the border of Russia, China and North Korea, in Western Asia (Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Pakistan, the North Caucasus of Russia), on the Arabian Peninsula.

Cheetah on the left, leopard on the right

Subspecies of cheetahs, photos and names

The modern classification identifies 5 subspecies of cheetahs: four of them are inhabitants of Africa, one is very rare in Asia. According to data from 2007, about 4,500 individuals live in African countries. The cheetah is listed on the IUCN Red List ( International Union nature conservation).

African subspecies of cheetahs:

• Acinonyx jubatus hecki – habitat covers the countries of North-West Africa and the Sahara;
• Acinonyx jubatus fearsoni distributed in East Africa;
• Acinonyx jubatus jubatus lives in South Africa;
• Acinonyx jubatus soemmerringi – populations of the subspecies are found in Northeast Africa.

Asian subspecies of cheetah:

• Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) lives in Iran in the provinces of Khorasan, Markazi and Fars, but populations of this subspecies are very small. It is possible (the facts have not been confirmed) that several individuals live in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In total, no more than 10-60 individuals exist in the wild. There are 23 Asiatic cheetahs living in zoos. A predator is different from African subspecies: its legs are shorter, its neck is more powerful, its skin is thicker.

Extinct species of cheetahs

• Acinonyx aicha
• Acinonyx intermedius
• Acinonyx kurteni
• Acinonyx pardinensis– European cheetah

Among the typical colors of cheetahs, there are exceptions caused by rare genetic mutations. For example, the royal cheetah (English: King cheetah) is so special in color. Black stripes run along its back, and its sides are decorated with large spots that sometimes merge together. The first specimen with such an unusual pattern on its skin was discovered in 1926, and for a long time Scientists have debated the classification, considering these cheetahs to be the result of cheetah-serval hybridization, and even tried to classify the king cheetah as a separate species. However, geneticists put an end to the disagreement when, in 1981, at the De Wildt Cheetah Center in South Africa, a pair of ordinary cheetahs gave birth to a cub with a non-standard fur color. Royal cheetahs interbreed well with their counterparts who have a typical pattern on their skin, and healthy and full-fledged offspring are born.

Other colors of cheetahs

There are other mutational abnormalities among cheetahs. In the wild, scientists have noticed predators with all sorts of colors, including:

• Albino white cheetahs;
• Black cheetahs with a barely visible outline of spots (this mutation is called melanism);
• Red cheetahs with golden fur and dark red spots;
• Cheetahs have light yellow or tan colored fur covered with pale red spots.

Sometimes the cheetah's fur has a very dull and faded color, especially for the inhabitants of some desert zones: it is likely that such a nuance lies in the camouflage factor and the maximum adaptability of individuals to existence under the scorching rays of the sun.

How does a cheetah hunt?

In terms of lifestyle, the cheetah is a diurnal predator, preferring to be active during daylight hours. For hunting, the animal usually chooses cool morning or evening hours, but always before dusk, since it most often tracks prey not by smell, but visually. The cheetah rarely hunts at night.

The cheetah's hunting method is very unusual: unlike other felines, this animal does not ambush potential prey, but overtakes it as a result of pursuit, combining very fast running with long jumps. During the chase, the cheetah is able to quickly change its trajectory and often uses this maneuver to deceive the prey. This method of cheetah hunting is determined by its habitat, because open area There are practically no conditions for shelter, so the animal has to run sprint races to get food. The cheetah knocks down the overtaken victim with a blow of a powerful paw, and only then strangles it.

The maximum speed of a cheetah can reach 112 km/h. Despite the large volume of its lungs, even it cannot cope with the rapid speed when running, and, spending a huge amount of energy, the cheetah becomes very tired. This is why almost half of hunting chases end in failure: if the predator does not overtake the prey in the first 200-300 meters, it simply stops pursuing.