Cheetah

1. Cheetah Paige Foote 1st

2. Background Info • Cheetah is a large feline. The world's fastest land animal, the cheetah, is a unique and the most specialized member of the cat family and can reach speeds of 70 mph.

3. Where does it live? • Lives in Africa. And in parts of the Middle East.

4. What does it eat? • A cheetah is a carnivore, eating mammals mostly under 80 pounds. It preys on other cheetahs, lions and other animals.

5. Senses • Cheetahs do not roar like lions and tigers. Instead, they make chirping sounds and hiss when angered or threatened. When alarmed, they whine or growl. They purr loudly when content. They do not roar. The cats have a good sense of smell and communicate by scenting tree trunks, bushes and termite mounds with their waste.

6. Female cheetahs typically live alone and are not territorial. Males form coalitions of 2 to 4 members. This helps them defend territories for hunting and mating. Fierce fights can occur between rival coalitions as a result of a territorial dispute. Young cubs stay with their mother, who raises them by herself for the first 18 months. She then leaves the cubs, which stay together for about 6 more months before breaking up. Male siblings will stay together for life.

7. Conclusion • While cheetahs were once found all over Africa, they are now endangered in most of their former ranges. Cheetahs do not pose a threat to human life. People continue to kill cheetahs because they believe cheetahs kill livestock as well as other domestic animals, causing excessive economic loss. In reality, the amount of damage to domestic stock is exaggerated.

8. References • Google images • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheetah • http://www.cheetah.org/?nd=intro_to_the_cheetah