Cheetah

Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are the fastest land mammals on Earth and live in the open grasslands of most parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Iran. They are characterized by a golden fur covered with small, black spots and prey on smaller herbivores such as antelopes and hares. Because of their light and agile build, cheetahs are able to accelerate from 0 km/h to 100 km/h in 3 seconds and run at incredible speeds of up to 120 km/h over short distances. Chasing prey costs massive amounts of energy and requires so much of their bodies that cheetahs even risk brain damage at the end of a chase. As a result, they have to rest and recover in the shadow after each endeavor, during which they are mostly unable to defend themselves or their prey against other predators. Male cheetahs are often social and may live in groups to establish a territory and even hunt together, but female cheetahs are mostly solitary and hunt alone. Females raise their cubs on their own and leave them behind once the young become independent of their mother. Subsequently, female cubs leave the litter as well, but male cubs may remain together for the rest of their lives.

Information sources: National Geographic, WWF

Image: Cheetah in the savanna grasslands of Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Credit: Tobias, Wikimedia Commons.