Cheetah  (Acinonyx jubatus)

The fastest land mammal in the world, the cheetah has many adaptations that allow it to sprint across the plains; the rangy frame supports long limbs and a deep chest cavity together with a small waist and extremely flexible spine (3). Unlike other cats, the claws are not retractable providing further grip on the ground. The large nostrils allow greater amounts of air to enter the lungs and the tail is particularly long to provide extra balance when cornering (3). The coat is a yellowish colour with black spots (4) and a paler, whitish underbelly (3). Genetic colour morphs with large, blotchy markings that can merge into stripes occasionally appear in the population; these ‘king cheetahs' as they are known were once considered to be a distinct species (7). The small head has high-set eyes and small, flattened ears (2) and is instantly recognisable by the black tear lines running from the corners of the eyes to the muzzle (3). Cubs have a ‘mane' of tufty pale hair on the back of their neck, which sticks upright (2).

As a species, the cheetah is found in a wide distribution throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa although there are currently five African subspecies, Acinonyx jubatus hecki, A. j. jubatus, A. j. raineyi, A. j. ngorongorensis and A. j. soemmeringii, which differ in their location across the sub-continent (7).The Critically Endangered Asiatic cheetah (A. j. venaticus) which inhabitated India and Southwestern Asia survives only in Iran, where there are believed to be fewer than 60 (9).

Open, grassy savannah plains and dry bush, scrub and open forests (3)

With the exception of the lion (Panthera leo), the cheetah is more gregarious than the other big cats; siblings stay together for around 6 months after leaving their mother (3), and brothers will often remain together for life (2). In the Serengeti, where the majority of research has been undertaken, male coalitions are common and around a third of the time these include unrelated males (2). It is thought that males benefit from living in groups by being able to obtain and keep territories, which in turn allows them greater access to females (2). Apart from when they have young, females are solitary and non-territorial, occupying vast home ranges as large as 800km2 (2). Females are sexually mature at around 24 months and can give birth throughout the year. At 3-4 cubs, the litter size is larger than that of the other big cats (3). The cubs are nursed in a lair amongst a rocky outcrop or within tall grasses, and until they are around 8 weeks old, the female must leave them alone whist she hunts (2). The death rate of young cheetahs is high and they are at risk from predation by lions, hyenas and even baboons (3).

Cheetahs are the fastest land mammal and use their speed to run-down their prey. Observing from a vantage point, an individual will pick off an antelope at the edge of the herd, stalk and then give chase (7). Cheetahs are able to maintain a speed of up to 87 kilometres an hour for 200-300 metres, before bringing the prey to the ground and then lunging for the throat (3). The carcass is devoured quickly as cheetahs are often displaced from their kills by the more aggressive carnivores of the plains; medium sized antelope such as Thomson's gazelle (Gazella thomsoni) make up the majority of the diet (7).

The Cheetah is endangered throughout its range, due to the loss of habitat and prey as well as direct persecution (2). Both captive and wild cheetahs have very low genetic variation and it was previously thought that this posed a severe threat to their survival; captive cheetahs have a very low successful birth rate and lack of genetic variation renders wild populations particularly vulnerable to sudden environmental change (3). However, studies have revealed that wild populations have a healthy reproductive rate and the implications of genetic similarities remain unclear. One of the major concerns today is competition with the more successful carnivores of the African plains; lions and hyenas kill cheetah cubs and also drive adults away from kills. In protected reserves where these animals are thriving, cheetahs may be under severe threat (3). Persecution by farmers because of livestock predation is an additional threat to the survival of this species (3).

The cheetah is protected by law throughout its range and occurs within a number of reserves (6), although competition with lions and hyenas means that these reserves may not be the best way of conserving this species (3). In Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, limited trophy hunting of cheetahs is allowed on private property, as a method of encouraging landowners to accept cheetahs on their land by enjoying the profit hunting provides (3). In Namibia, the Cheetah Conservation Fund has initiated a novel conservation programme; providing farmers with guard dogs to protect their livestock herds. To date, this scheme has led to a dramatic reduction in the number of cheetahs trapped and killed (8).

For more information on the cheetah see:

The IUCN Cat Specialist Group:
www.catsg.org

The Cheetah Conservation Fund:
http://www.cheetah.org/?html=home

Authenticated (21/03/05) by Peter Jackson, Chairman Emeritus, Cat Specialist Group, World Conservation Union (IUCN).
http://www.catsg.org/sp-accts.htm