WILDLIFE DISCOVERY : Cheetahs: The fastest animal on earth

Cheetahs are wild animals that live mostly in the Savanna grasslands. They are in the cat family and look fierce like leopards. A cheetah has a slender, long body and curved claws on its feet. Its body skin is covered with short chocolate- brown fur with small, round, black spots. On the cheetah’s small head are high-set eyes that have black “tear marks,” running from the inside corner of their eyes down to the sides of the nose to the outside of its mouth. This helps it to keep the sun out of its eyes. A cheetah’s body is very lengthy. It can be as long as105-152 cm and can weigh between 31-64kg. Male cheetahs are slightly larger than the female. One incredible thing about these animals is that they are the fastest and quickest animals in the wild. It can jump between 7-8 meters in just one step, with only one foot touching the ground. Cheetahs can run up to110 kilometres per hour. They usually hunt for prey in the late morning and early evening hours. Their fast speed helps them to capture their prey for food. Young cheetahs are called cubs and they stay with their mothers for a period of 18 months. During this time, they learn how to hunt and keep away from other wild predators such as lions, leopards and hyenas. Ends