The cheetah belongs to the cat family. Its habitat is Africa and the Middle East. The genus Cheetah consists of only one species of cheetah.
Description of the appearance of a cheetah
This cat has no equal in running; it can move at a speed of 100-120 km/h. The cheetah's physique allows it to develop the speed of hurricane winds; it seems to be created for rapid speed. The cheetah's body is quite slender and muscular, with virtually no fat deposits, reaching a length of 125-150 cm without a tail. The weight, compared to other big cats in Africa, is quite small - 36-60 kg. The head is small with small rounded ears. The legs are long and thin. The height at the withers is approximately 70 to 95 cm. A long tail is 65-80 cm, which when running helps to balance and repeat all the zigzags after the victim. Cheetahs have a large rib cage and large lungs that allow 150 breaths per minute. The cheetah's eyes are located on the front of the skull, like most felines. The animal has binocular and spatial vision to accurately calculate the distance to the prey, and its field of vision covers 200 degrees. The cheetah's color is dark yellow with small black spots all over its body. The claws do not protrude like those of most cats, but are located outside and constantly become dull when walking or running. 
also in wildlife There is a royal cheetah, but it is not a separate species, but a rare mutation. It differs only in color with larger black spots and two stripes stretching from the neck to the tail.
Cheetah lifestyle and reproduction
The life of a cheetah is a little different from the life of other cats. Cheetahs predominantly lead a diurnal and solitary lifestyle. Male cheetahs sometimes form coalitions. They usually consist of brothers from the same brood. Females never create unions with individuals of the same sex or the opposite. They lead a nomadic lifestyle, never staying in one territory for long. Often females do not travel alone, but with their cubs. When the cubs have just appeared and are very small, the female first lives sedentary. For her residence at this time, she chooses bushes, lonely trees in thickets of thick grass, termite mounds, and sometimes settles in rocks. After the kids grow up, he goes on the road with them.
Males, unlike females, are always looking for a territory to live in and always mark it, leaving excrement and urine on trees or scratching them. Although, just like females, they can live in an occupied territory for a short time - from 1 to 3 years.
Mating season for cheetahs
Females and males of cheetahs are found only during the mating period and stay in place for several days. Afterwards, the female bears offspring for 90-95 days. After this time, the female brings from 1 to 5 babies, in rare cases 6. The babies are born blind, helpless, covered with short yellow hair with an abundance of small dark spots, which at first are noticeable only on the sides and paws. On top, along the entire length of the kittens, lies a “birth cape” - a kind of long, soft gray wool. After two months, it completely changes, and the babies acquire a characteristic color. The coat becomes short and harsh. 
The babies spend the first nine weeks in the den, but then the mother takes them away, constantly moving from one place to another. Since babies begin to eat meat from the age of three months, the mother needs to hunt almost all the time to feed the family. After each successful hunt, if there is no danger nearby, the female leads or calls the babies to the prey. Mostly small ungulates. The mother takes care of her offspring for one and a half or two years, until they learn all the necessary hunting skills, then leaves them.
Cheetahs live up to 12 years in the wild, and up to 15 years in captivity.
Cheetah in the Red Book
Cheetahs are listed in the Red Book. Today there are only a few thousand of them. The reason for the disappearance of cheetahs was their mass extermination by humans and a meager gene pool. As scientists have established, the second reason could become more significant than the first. Since cheetahs have lost their genetic diversity and are genetically almost identical, their immunity has suffered greatly and has become very weak. Most babies born in the wild die in the first year of life. Breeding these animals in artificial conditions is virtually impossible, since they reproduce poorly in unnatural environment. To save the species, zoologists believe that the Asian subspecies should be crossed with the African one and thus restore gene diversity.
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The cheetah is the fastest-footed animal...
The cheetah lives on the plains of Africa, India, Western and Central Asia. On the territory of Kazakhstan at the end of the 18th - early XIX V. On the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the deserts adjacent to the Aral Sea, the cheetah was found regularly. In the middle of the 19th century. on the Mangyshlak Peninsula and the Ustyurt Plateau, this predator has become very rare. Over the past 25-30 years, there is no reliable information about sightings of this predator in Kazakhstan.
Cheetahs are so different from other cats that they are classified as a special subfamily. In appearance, a cheetah resembles a hound dog with long legs, a small cat-like muzzle and a long thin tail, which cheetahs use as a balance when running. Their slender, lean body with an arched back even seems fragile, but in fact they have developed muscles and practically no fat deposits. Cheetahs have fur similar to that of smooth-haired dogs. And the vague spots on the skin already resemble cat fur. The fangs are quite small, there are no powerful jaws. Cheetahs are the only felines that cannot retract their claws and they cannot climb trees. The feet are wide in relation to the size of the body. There are pads made of rough leather on the foot to soften the step. Their long, sharp claws help the cheetah stay steady while running. All these characteristics allow the cheetah to be the fastest alive 
dark on earth.
The color is yellowish-golden, the belly is white, there are black spots all over the body, and on the muzzle there are so-called black “tear stripes” running from the tips of the eyes to the mouth. This protective coloring makes the cheetah invisible against the background of vegetation.
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. 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. Royal cheetahs can interbreed with ordinary cheetahs, resulting in full-fledged offspring. A royal-colored cub can be born from normal-colored parents.
Body length varies from 115 to 140 cm (average 130 cm), tail 65 - 90 cm (average 75 cm), height at the withers 79 cm.
Weight: The weight of an adult cheetah is 40-65 kg: the average weight of a male is 43 kg and 38 kg of a female.
Lifespan: Cheetahs live up to 17-20 years in captivity, and up to 8-10 in the wild.
Voice: Sound language The predator is quite diverse. In his voice you can hear almost all the sounds made by a domestic cat. The sounds made by a cheetah are similar to the abrupt chirping of a bird. They can be heard at a distance of two kilometers and allow the cheetah to communicate with its cubs and relatives. When a cheetah is happy, it begins to purr like a huge one. domestic cat. Pleasure is manifested by the sounds “wa-wa” and “nyam-nyam.” “Prr-pr” is a calm call, a very low “i-hi, i-hi” is an alarming one. When defending prey or when irritated, adult animals growl, purr, snort and click their teeth. His growl is more like a bark. The kids, fighting for the best pieces of meat brought by their parents, emit long screams and sniffle terribly, pressing their ears. When they are scared, they whistle shrilly and sharply. In response to the mother's call, they chirp quietly.
Habitat: Due to their hunting method, they prefer open spaces: savannas, semi-deserts, etc.
Enemies: The main reasons for the catastrophic decline in the number of cheetahs in all areas of its range are the development of desert areas and plowing of lands, and in this connection the disappearance of ungulates, as well as direct persecution of the cheetah by poachers.
In Africa, the cheetah is the weakest of the large predators 
. Hyenas, leopards and lions can take prey from cheetahs and kill their cubs.
he hunts small ungulates - antelopes. Most of all he likes to hunt Thompson's gazelle, impala, and wildebeest calves. Its diet also includes hares and birds. There are cases where in arid regions a cheetah fed on juicy wild melons. In zoos, he eats 2.8-3.3 kg of meat per day. Here they are fed horse meat, sometimes beef, rabbits, and chicks.
Cheetahs are diurnal predators. It goes hunting during the day or at dusk, often lying in wait for prey at a watering hole. It is best adapted to life on the plain. Keen vision allows him to see his prey. Unlike other cats, cheetahs hunt by stalking rather than by ambush. As a rule, the cheetah hunts alone. Seeing the herd, he goes around it on the leeward side and begins to crawl, hugging the ground tightly and not taking his eyes off the antelopes. As soon as they start to worry, the cheetah freezes. It approaches its prey at a distance of up to 30 meters and makes a rapid dash.
Cheetahs push off when running at a gallop with their front and hind legs; this type of running allows them to reach speeds of up to 110 km/h and quickly change the direction of running. Incredibly, this beast can reach a speed of 65 km/h in just 2 seconds from a standstill! Usually the chase does not last long: the predator catches up with its prey before they run half a kilometer. At its highest speed, a cheetah can rush in 6-meter leaps. This is a sprinter: they can only withstand such speed for a short distance, after which their body overheats, and their muscles stretch from overexertion and lose elasticity. To ensure the flow of fresh air to the powerful lungs, the large and short nasal cavity serves. Cheetahs also have enlarged hearts, lungs, bronchi and tonsils to ensure maximum oxygen flow to the blood and muscles.
The prey is usually knocked down with a blow from the paw, and then strangled by clinging to its throat with a death grip. 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. To avoid mistakes, the predator chooses the weaker animal in the herd, and does it without fail. A race rarely lasts more than a minute. Approximately half of hunting attempts are successful, and the success rate for gazelle hunting was 70%.
When gnawing or tearing off pieces of meat, unlike, for example, lions and leopards, the cheetah never helps itself with its front paws. On the contrary, he pulls them under himself. A cheetah is not born a hunter, but becomes one, and only if its mother gives it an “intensive training course.” Cheetahs born in captivity do not know how to sneak up on prey and chase prey. The mother and cubs eat together very peacefully, without quarrels or fights.
Although cheetahs live on the same open plains as lions, where hyenas and wild dogs live, there is no rivalry between them, because. The cheetah hunts very fast animals, and therefore inaccessible to other predators. However, its prey cannot always be hidden, and scavengers are never against feasting on it.
Cheetahs are well adapted to living in arid areas. They do not need daily watering places. On average, they travel up to 82 km between watering holes. They have been observed to satisfy their hydration needs by drinking the blood or urine of their prey or by eating juicy melons.
In the mountains of Algeria, cheetahs constantly move from one valley to another, but at the same time they exhibit territorial behavior, marking trees (mostly tamarix) with their secretions and scratching them (mostly acacias). They rest under these trees or lie down on the lower horizontal branches. Here they hunt mainly at night.
Social structure: Cheetahs live in pairs or alone. After young cheetahs leave their mother, they stay together as a kin group for an average of about 6 months. Females separate from their siblings at around 2 years of age (usually 23 - 27 months of age). Males (siblings) usually stay together for a long time significant time small group, up to 4 individuals. Such a group occupies an area of up to 100-150 km2.
On average, the cheetah population consists of 21% males, 47% females, and 32% juveniles: of these, 44% of juveniles are 12 - 16 months old. It has been found that only 11% of puppies survive to 4 months; 4 - 5.6% of puppies up to 14 months. Mortality from birth to maturity ranges between 90 and 98%.
Reproduction: Cheetahs form pairs during the breeding season. Males do not take part in feeding the cubs, so soon after mating the mating pair breaks up.
Typically, a female cheetah gives birth to no more than six (average 3.3) tiny cubs. Cheetahs do not make a den, and the children's room is placed right in the middle of some dense bush or thicket of tall grass, or less often in an abandoned den of other animals. Around the 10th day, cheetah cubs' eyes open. At five or six weeks of age, puppies follow their mothers. The female fearlessly protects her children and hides them very well from enemies, constantly moving children from place to place during the first months of their life. This ensures that safety and sanitation regulations are followed. However, despite all the efforts of females to protect their babies from harm, only a third of the cubs survive to adulthood. If a mother loses her pups, she can enter estrus in an average of 3 weeks and bear new offspring. It is therefore estimated that a female cheetah could give birth up to a maximum of three times a year, producing a maximum of 18 pups.
Cheetah pups are weaned at around three months of age. They stay with their mother for 13 to 20 months. At the age of one and a half years, they mark adulthood and leave their parents.
Breeding season/period: The rut is extended, but most often occurs in December-January. Peak births of kittens occur during the rainy season.
Puberty: Cheetahs reach sexual maturity on average at the age of 2-3 years (females - 24-36 months; males - 30 - 36 months).
Pregnancy: Pregnancy lasts 84-95 days.
Offspring: Cubs - 2-5 are born blind, uniformly colored. The spotted pattern appears later. Newborn cubs have darker fur, and a thick and lush ashy “mantle” stretches along the back from neck to tail. After two months, it gradually turns into a mane, revealing the spotted back, and before that, like a camouflage robe, it reliably covers each baby from enemy eyes. Cheetah babies can retract their claws, like kittens, only up to 10 - 15 weeks, later the claws become almost motionless, and according to this, the metacarpus more closely resembles a dog's. Permanent teeth Instead of milk ones, they grow at about nine months.
The cheetah does not attack people. As a rare animal, the cheetah has no commercial significance and needs full protection throughout its range. The cheetah has a gentle and peaceful disposition. The cheetah gets used to humans very quickly and can be tamed. In India and Iran, cheetahs were domesticated, trained and used to hunt antelope. Hunting cheetahs were also known in Kievan Rus. In many parts of the Middle East, cheetahs were every rich man's favorite game animal. It is known that the Mongol emperor Akbar had a “stable” of 1000 cheetahs for hunting
A very rare, endangered animal. The entire wild population of cheetahs is estimated at approximately 8-10 thousand individuals. The largest population of cheetahs is now found in East Africa: in Kenya and Tanzania and in southern Africa: in Namibia and Botswana.
The species is listed in the IUCN Red List. The cheetah is subject to universal and complete protection. Included in Annex I of the Convention on international trade endangered species of wild fauna and flora.
Cheetahs apparently nearly 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"child" mortality.
The only species of a monotypic genus. Given the vastness of the cheetah's range, it naturally exhibits pronounced geographic variability. There is no consensus yet on the number of cheetah subspecies. Most zoologists agree on seven subspecies of cheetah: five in Africa and two in Asia, some of these seven recognize only two - Asian venaticus and African jubatus, which are translated from Latin as “hunting” and “having a mane.” In fact, this is not a mane, but a short mane, like a comb of slightly elongated hair.
Five African subspecies:
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
Two Asian subspecies;
Acinonyx jubatus raddei - on Caspian lowland, extremely rare, perhaps already extinct;
Acinonyx jubatus venaticus - from India and the Middle East, less than 200.
It is still almost impossible to get offspring from cheetahs in zoos. There were such examples, but they can be called a happy accident. In general, zoo workers unanimously come to the conclusion that keeping these animals in captivity is extremely labor-intensive.
In the Middle Ages, eastern princes called cheetahs pardus, that is, hunting ones, and “went” with them to hunt game. In the 14th century, an Indian ruler named Akbar had 9 thousand predators trained in hunting. Today their number in the world does not exceed 4.5 thousand.
Animal cheetah is a predator from the large cat family. The beast stands out for its incredible speed, spotted color and claws, which, unlike most cats, it cannot “hide”.
Features and habitat
Cheetah is a wild animal, which only partially resembles cats. The animal has a slender, muscular body, more reminiscent of a dog, and high-set eyes.
A small head with rounded ears gives the cat away as a predator. It is this combination that allows the beast to instantly accelerate. As is known in the world there is no animal faster than a cheetah.
An adult animal reaches 140 centimeters in length and 90 in height. Wild cats weigh on average 50 kilograms. Scientists have found that predators have spatial and binocular vision, which helps them in hunting.
A cheetah can reach speeds of up to 120 km/h
As can be seen by photo of cheetah, the predator has a sandy-yellow color. Only the belly, like many domestic cats, is white. At the same time, the body is covered with small black spots, and on the “face” there are thin black stripes.
Nature “inflicted” them for a reason. The stripes act like Sunglasses for humans: slightly reduce exposure to bright sun, and allow the predator to look at long distances.
Males boast a small mane. However, at birth, all kittens “wear” a silver mane on their backs, but by about 2.5 months, it disappears. Characteristically, cheetahs’ claws never retract.
Only Iriomotean and Sumatran cats can boast of this feature. The predator uses its feature when running, for traction, as spikes.
Cheetah cubs are born with a small mane on their heads.
Nowadays there are 5 subspecies of the predator:
- 4 species of African cheetah;
- Asian subsp.
Asians are distinguished by thicker skin, powerful necks and slightly shortened paws. In Kenya you can find the black cheetah. Previously, they tried to classify it as a separate species, but later they found out that it is an intraspecific gene mutation.
Also, among the spotted predators you can find an albino and a royal cheetah. The so-called king is distinguished by long black stripes along the back and a short black mane.
Previously, predators could be observed in various Asian countries, but now they are almost completely exterminated there. The species has completely disappeared in countries such as Egypt, Afghanistan, Morocco, Western Sahara, Guinea, UAE and many others. Only in African countries today can spotted predators be found in sufficient quantity.
The photo shows a king cheetah, it is distinguished by two dark lines along its back
Character and lifestyle of the cheetah
Cheetah is the fastest animal. This could not but affect his lifestyle. Unlike many predators, they hunt in the daytime. Animals live exclusively in open space. The predator avoids thickets.
Most likely this is due to the fact that the animal's speed is 100-120 km/h. Cheetah when running, he takes about 150 breaths in 60 seconds. So far, a kind of record has been set for the beast. A female named Sarah ran the 100-meter dash in 5.95 seconds.
Unlike most cats, cheetahs try not to climb trees. Dull claws prevent them from clinging to the trunk. Animals can live alone or in small groups. They try not to conflict with each other.
They communicate using purrs and sounds reminiscent of chirping. Females mark territory, but its boundaries depend on the presence of offspring. At the same time, the animals are not known for their cleanliness, so the territory is quickly changed.
The black stripes near the eyes serve as “sunglasses” for the cheetah.
Tamed cheetahs resemble dogs in character. They are loyal, loyal and trainable. It is not for nothing that they were kept at court for many centuries and used as hunters. IN animal world cheetahs They take lightly to intrusion into their territories; the insolent person receives only a contemptuous look from the owner, without a fight or showdown.
Nutrition
When hunting, this wild animal trusts its vision more than its sense of smell. The cheetah chases animals that are approximately its own size. Predator victims include:
- gazelles;
- calves;
- impalas;
Goitered gazelles become the main diet of Asiatic cheetahs. Because of their lifestyle, predators never sit in ambush. Most often, the victim even sees his danger, but due to the fact that cheetah is the fastest animal in the world, in half the cases, can’t do anything about it. The predator catches up with its prey in several jumps, with each jump lasting only half a second.
True, after this, the runner needs to take a breather for half an hour. At this moment more strong predators, namely leopards and , can deprive a cheetah of its lunch.
By the way, it never feeds on carrion, and only eats what it catches itself. Sometimes the animal hides its prey in the hope of returning for it later. But other predators usually manage to feast on other people’s works faster than him.
Reproduction and lifespan
Even with reproduction, things are a little different for cheetahs than for other cats. The female begins to ovulate only if the male runs after her for a long time. And in the literal sense of the word.
This is a long distance race. This is actually why cheetahs almost never breed in captivity. Zoos and nurseries are unable to recreate natural conditions.
Pictured is a cheetah cub
The gestation period lasts about three months, after which 2-6 cubs are born. The kittens are helpless and blind, and so that the mother can find them, a thick silver mane grows on their back.
Up to three months, kittens feed on their mother's milk, then their parents introduce meat into their diet. By the way, the father is involved in raising the offspring, and takes care of the babies if something happens to the female.
Despite parental care, more than half of cheetahs do not reach the age of one year. Firstly, some of them become prey for other predators, and secondly, kittens die from genetic diseases.
Scientists believe that during the Ice Age they almost went extinct, and the individuals living today are close relatives of each other.
Cheetah is a red book animal. For many centuries, predators were caught and trained to hunt. Since they could not reproduce in captivity, the animals slowly died out.
Today there are about 4.5 thousand individuals. Cheetahs live quite a long time. In nature - 12-20 years, and in zoos - even longer. This is due to quality medical care.
The cheetah is the most atypical representative of the cat family. The lifestyle and physiology of this animal are so unique that it is classified as a special subfamily. Thus, the cheetah stands apart from other types of cats.
Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus).
This animal is medium in size: the cheetah's body length is up to 1.5 m, weight - 40-65 kg. The cheetah's body is streamlined and graceful, its belly is lean, its head is small with short ears, its tail is thin and long. Characteristically, his legs are very high and dry. The claws on the paws are not retractable, like those of all cats, but blunt, like a dog. The cheetah's fur is very short, close-lying, and at the withers there is a mane of coarse black hair. The whole appearance of this animal reveals that it is a sprinter.
The coloring of the cheetah is very similar to the leopard, but the cheetah has two black stripes on its face from the corners of its eyes to its mouth.
Initially, cheetahs lived everywhere in the steppes and semi-deserts of Asia and Africa, but now in Asia, cheetahs have been almost completely exterminated. Now you can see these animals in sufficient numbers only on the African continent. Cheetahs inhabit exclusively open spaces, avoiding any dense thickets. These animals lead a solitary lifestyle, but males often form groups of 2-3 individuals. In general, the character of these animals is not that of a cat - they easily tolerate each other’s presence, and tamed cheetahs show the devotion of a dog. Unlike most cats, cheetahs hunt exclusively during daylight hours. This is due to the characteristics of food production.
Cheetahs feed on small ungulates - gazelles, antelopes, less often mountain sheep (in the foothills of the Caucasus), hares and birds. Sometimes they dare to attack young wildebeest.
A cheetah caught a baby antelope. Usually cheetahs do not kill such small prey, but bring it to the cubs for play.
The cheetah tracks its victims almost without hiding; when it comes to a distance of 30-50 m, it lies down and sneaks towards the victim on half-bent legs. As it approaches, it begins to pursue its prey. The cheetah is the absolute world record holder for running speed. In a sprint burst, he effortlessly reaches speeds of 100-110 km/h! When running, the cheetah's flexible spine bends so much that the animal is able to throw its hind legs far forward. At this running speed important role claws play a role, which enhance the grip of the paws on the ground and prevent the cheetah from slipping during a sharp turn. The tail performs an additional stabilizing function: when turning, it is thrown in the direction opposite to the turn, thereby preventing skidding. However, despite all these adaptations, the inertial speed of the cheetah is colossal and in maneuverability it loses to its victims. For a predator, such mistakes are of vital importance, because a cheetah running at the limit of its physiological capabilities is not capable of long-term pursuit. Having not caught up with the victim in the first hundred meters of the distance, he stops the pursuit. Thus, although cheetah victims can run at a speed of no more than 60 km/h, only 20% of attacks are successful.
Cheetahs usually drag their caught prey to a secluded place.
Due to the lack of sharp claws, cheetahs cannot climb trees, like all cats, and are not able to hide prey in branches. This greatly complicates their life, because such successful hunters attract “unscrupulous competitors” in the form of hyenas, lions and leopards. Larger predators will not fail to take advantage of the free prey of cheetahs. Cheetahs are inferior to them in strength, and they are also very vulnerable to the slightest injury (after all, it is impossible to rush with a bitten paw), so they never get involved in a fight.
The cheetahs climbed onto a shallow tree trunk to inspect the surroundings. They cannot climb vertical trunks.
During the breeding season, male cheetahs compete with each other for the right to enter a female's territory. Pregnancy lasts 3 months. The female gives birth to 2-4 kittens in a secluded place. Externally, babies are very different from adults: their fur is gray and very long.
At first, the babies sit very quietly in the den and wait for the mother to return from the hunt.
Such caution is not unnecessary, because large predators can find and kill the cubs. The female feeds the babies with milk for up to 8 months, and then begins to bring them wounded animals. Young cheetahs practice hunting techniques on such wounded animals.
The female cheetah led the cubs out of the den.
Cheetahs, although dexterous predators, are weak animals. Mortality among young animals reaches 70%. The main enemies of cheetahs are the “formidable trinity” - lions, hyenas and leopards, which attack young animals and take prey from adults. In addition, cheetahs can be injured during hunting by larger animals - wildebeest, zebras, warthogs. At the same time, even relatively minor damage becomes critical, because cheetahs obtain food not by cunning, but thanks to their excellent athletic form.
For humans, the cheetah is not an important hunting object: due to its short fur, the cheetah's skin is inferior in value to other feline species. In the old days, people often hunted with cheetahs rather than with cheetahs. Easily tamed, cheetahs were used to hunt gazelles like greyhounds. Such “packs” existed among the Central Asian khans and Indian rajas. Trained animals were of great value, but were not widely used. The fact is that cheetahs are heat-loving animals and cannot tolerate dampness and low temperatures. Unlike other cats, they do not adapt well to new living conditions, and in captivity they almost do not reproduce. Due to their specific way of life, these animals need large territories and the availability of suitable prey, so in densely populated Asian countries they were forced out of their habitats by humans. A few animals have survived only in the remote corners of the Iranian deserts, but they are also threatened with destruction.
Ecology
The Asiatic cheetah, one of the rarest animals on the planet, is attempting to prey on livestock in areas where wild food supplies are running low, new research has found.
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.
By analyzing the excrement of 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 cheetah's diet, they do not provide them with the necessary dose of nutrients. Cheetahs prefer medium-sized herbivores and will attack livestock if necessary. Researchers have reported that local shepherds may be completely unaware that their livestock is being attacked., since 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.