Cheetahs !

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The Cheetah is the fastest of all mammals.
Giving chase it can attain speeds of between 95 and 112 kilometers an hour for distances of up to about 300 metres !

A machine-like blur at speed, this gangly yet graceful creature is a lesson in streamlining with small head, deep chest and long legs.
A long heavy tail serves as a balancing aid used to great advantage during the chase.




Questa foto di Cheetah Conservation Fund è offerta da TripAdvisor.


Unlike the other big cats, the cheetah hunts mostly during the day and in open spaces, where it is able to make full use of its athletic prowess to catch small antelope, hares, warthogs and ground birds.
It seldom scavenges as it prefers fresh meat.

Cheetah are sometimes confused with leopard because of the spots which characterize both animals. Arrangement of the spot is more random in cheetahs and their heads are smaller.




Questa foto di Otjiwarongo è offerta da TripAdvisor.

Distinctive black lines run down the cheek bones from the eyes, and the cubs have a characterist tuft of hair from the nape to the rump.
This tuft of hair is even more pronounced on the young. Up to the age of about three months, cubs have a mantle of smoky grey hair concealing the spots that will appear later.
This serves as a camouflage device which offers some protection to the customary litters of two or three cubs, which are vulnerable to predation.




Questa foto di Otjiwarongo è offerta da TripAdvisor.