Brief characteristics of the cheetah. Cheetah brief information

Ecology

The Asiatic cheetah, one of the rarest animals on the planet, tries to attack livestock in areas where food supplies are low. wildlife are drying up, new research shows.

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 diet of cheetahs, they do not provide them with the necessary dose nutrients. Cheetahs prefer medium-sized herbivores and will attack livestock if necessary.

The researchers reported that local herders may be completely unaware that their livestock is being attacked by Asiatic cheetahs, as 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.

The message about the cheetah for children can be used in preparation for the lesson. The story about the cheetah for children can be expanded

Report about the cheetah

The cheetah is a graceful, fast and muscular predatory animal. The cheetah is noticeably different from other members of the cat family.

In pursuit of prey, reach speeds of up to 110 km/h and accelerate to 65 km/h in 2 seconds. But he runs big cat only for short distances. A dash, great speed and lunch is already caught. If the prey is lucky, then the swift animal will not waste energy on a long chase.

Description of the cheetah

The cheetah has a small head, high-set eyes and small rounded ears, the so-called aerodynamic body structure, which serves to make it better streamlined while running. The color is sandy-yellow, with small black spots scattered throughout the body, and thin black stripes on the sides of the muzzle.

The weight of an adult cheetah is from 40 to 65 kg, body length is from 115 to 140 cm, a rather massive tail is about 75 cm long.

The long tail is used as a rudder and stabilizer during sharp throws and turns.

The claws, unlike those of a lion, tiger or domestic purr, are practically not retracted into the pads of the fingers. This ensures good adhesion of the paw to the surface; the animal does not slide and therefore can develop such speed. During the chase, the predator can move in 7-meter jumps.

In the Middle Ages, wealthy African and Asian rulers used fast predators for hunting. They were easy to train and held onto caught prey, like dogs, until the owner arrived.
The cheetah is an affectionate, non-aggressive animal towards people. To date, there has not been a single case of this predator attacking a person.

This small predator - the cheetah's body length does not exceed 130 centimeters - hunts antelope, as well as more small mammals and birds. Cheetahs are considered the most fast cats and the fastest land creatures. They can reach speeds of up to 110 kilometers per hour.

The cheetah is widespread in Africa, India, Southwestern, Western and Central Asia. Currently Asiatic cheetah practically disappeared. IN Saudi Arabia predator last time sighted in 1950, the last cheetah in India was killed in 1955. It is rarely found in Armenia and Azerbaijan. They were last seen in Turkmenistan in the 1960s. Of the entire vast range in Asia, a small area remains in Iran.

In Africa, the cheetah has survived only in remote places or in protected areas. On cheetah protection The world community has risen up, and it is listed in the International Red Book as an animal that is in danger of complete extinction. Whether it will be possible to preserve this predator in the wild now depends only on humans.

The cheetah's body is slender, with developed muscles and practically no fat deposits, it seems fragile. The cheetah has a small head, high-set eyes and small rounded ears. The color is sandy-yellow, with small black spots scattered throughout the body, and thin black stripes on the sides of the muzzle. The weight of an adult cheetah is 40-65 kg, body length is from 115 to 140 cm, a rather massive tail is up to 80 cm long.

Cheetahs hunt mainly small ungulates - gazelles, impalas, wildebeest calves - as well as hares. Cheetahs usually hunt early in the morning or in the evening, when it is no longer very hot, but there is still enough light. They navigate more by sight than by smell.

Unlike other felines, cheetahs hunt by stalking prey rather than by ambush. First, they approach the chosen victim at a distance of about 10 meters, and then try to catch it in a short race. In pursuit of the victim, it reaches speeds of up to 110-115 km/h, accelerating to 75 km/h in 2 seconds. The animal runs in jumps 6-8 m long, spending less than 0.5 seconds on each jump. The cheetah is also capable of quickly changing the direction of its run. Prey is usually knocked down with a blow from the paw and then strangled. If for 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. A race rarely lasts more than a minute. Despite high speed, about half of the chases end unsuccessfully.

In Africa, the cheetah is the weakest of the large predators. Hyenas, leopards and lions can take prey from cheetahs, taking advantage of the fact that a cheetah needs up to half an hour to rest after a chase.

Cheetahs almost 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 infant mortality: up to 70% of cubs do not survive to one year.

Pregnancy in cheetahs lasts 85-95 days, from two to five kittens are born. Kittens remain with their mother for 13 to 20 months.

In the wild, cheetahs live on average up to 20, sometimes up to 25 years; in zoos - much longer.

Using a cheetah for hunting.

The cheetah's great natural hunting abilities, peaceful disposition and easy tameability have prompted hunters in many countries since ancient times. use a cheetah as a hunting animal.

The first information about the use of cheetahs for hunting dates back to 1580-1345 BC. In ancient Thebes, images of two cheetahs kept on leashes were found. Many centuries ago, cheetahs were hunted in many Asian countries. The hunt with cheetahs was especially grandiose in India, where greatest distribution she received it in the 16th and early 17th centuries.

The size of the hunt can be judged by the fact that Khan Akbar during his reign kept up to 1000 cheetahs at a time - they were caught with loops of antelope tendons placed near the trees on which the animals came to sharpen their claws.

The first mention of hunting with cheetahs in Europe dates back to 439 AD, when two hunting cheetah , with which he hunted deer. The news has been preserved that in 1100, when the Lombard crusaders approached Constantinople, the Greeks released lions and cheetahs kept in the palace on them, and the latter did not attack the attackers.

Byzantine miniatures of the 12th-13th centuries often depicted hunting with cheetahs, especially deer and fallow deer. European feudal lords kept cheetahs for hunting and set up “leoparderies” - special premises where the animals were kept. Trainers and other personnel caring for the animals were present with the predators. In France, people hunted with cheetahs already in the 11th century.

During the Renaissance in this country, cheetahs were so common on the estates of lords that they are mentioned in most literary works of that time and are often depicted on tapestries.

There are many historical information about hunting with cheetahs in Italy. Thus, Frederick II, Emperor of the Roman Empire, had a leoparderia in the castle of Lucera in Apulia. Cheetahs were delivered to him from North Africa. Louis XII hunted hares and roe deer with cheetahs in the Amboise forest. Hunting with cheetahs in Europe required large expenses for the acquisition and maintenance of hunting animals and was available only to large feudal lords. As the feudal states died out, hunting with these predators became more rare and ceased around the beginning of the 18th century.

In the Middle Ages, hunting with cheetahs was practiced in Kievan Rus and the Moscow Principality, and on the territory of modern Central Asian and Transcaucasian states and in Kazakhstan it existed until the 19th century inclusive. IN Ancient Rus' The cheetah was called “pardus”, and the people involved in their training were called “pardusniks”.

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, and less commonly mountain sheep(in the foothills of the Caucasus), hares and birds. Sometimes they dare to attack young wildebeest.

A cheetah caught a baby antelope. Typically, 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 such a running speed, the claws play an important role, as they 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 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 stand 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 lifestyle, these animals need large areas and the availability of suitable prey, so in densely populated Asian countries they were driven 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.

The cheetah is one of the most predatory and fastest animals on the planet, which are part of the cat family. It should be noted that in speed the cheetah is second only to the jaguar, but the most maximum speed The speed that a cheetah can reach will be approximately 110 to 115 km/h.

The population of this mammal species is not high.

Cheetah - description, structure, characteristics

In its anatomical features, the cheetah is a little similar to domestic cats, but the difference between them is not only in size, because the cheetah’s body has a slightly long shape.

At the same time, at first glance it may seem that this animal is not able to survive in such harsh and harsh conditions, but thanks to its well-developed muscles, the cheetah is able to instantly gain high speed to hunt for prey.

The special features of the cheetah's structure are its long, but very strong legs, the body is oblong and the head is small.

The size of the body of an adult individual can reach up to 1.5 meters, but its tail can measure about 80 cm; in height, almost all cheetahs have the same size, so the height of an adult individual can reach up to 1 meter. But its weight can be different and range from 50 to 80 kg.

The color of the cheetah, as a rule, has a sandy or dark yellow tint, only the belly of the animal is white, and there are small black spots on the entire body of the animal, with the exception of the belly.

How long does a cheetah live?

As a rule, almost all cheetahs in wild conditions can live up to a maximum of 25 years, however this figure can increase significantly if they are kept in captivity under constant supervision.

Where does the cheetah live?

The habitat of this predator is open and level terrain, where there is plenty of free space for viewing and selecting prey.

The habitat of this animal species is distributed throughout almost the entire territory of the African continent, and is less common in the Asian region.

Subspecies of cheetahs, photos and names

Currently, scientists have 5 subspecies of cheetahs, almost all of them live in Africa, and only one species can very rarely be found in the Asian region.

So, as of 2007, according to scientists, about 4,500 cheetahs were identified on the African continent.

This population is considered to be very small, so these mammalian predators are listed in the Red Book.

So, there are four subspecies that live in Africa:

Acinonyx jubatus hecki
Acinonyx jubatus fearsoni
Acinonyx jubatus jubatus
Acinonyx jubatus soemmerringi

But the subspecies of cheetahs, which is found in Asia, “Acinonyx jubatus venaticus” or Asiatic cheetah, mainly lives in Iran. This type animals has a very small population, and their number does not even reach 100 individuals.

The distinctive features of the Asiatic cheetah from the African ones are its body structure. This is how Asian cheetahs have short, but very strong and powerful legs, a fairly powerful neck, and also a very thick skin.

Royal cheetah

IN natural nature Cheetahs may have a body color that is not typical for cheetahs; this can be seen very, very rarely. Such an uncharacteristic color for cheetahs can only be due to a gene mutation.

The color itself has next view— along the entire length of the animal’s back there are black stripes, and along the rest of the body there are black spots of various sizes. Individuals of this species were first discovered in the late 20s of the last century.

However long time many scientists believed that the king cheetah was created by hybridizing a leopard with a cheetah. But already in the early 80s of the last century, an event occurred that provided an answer to the origin of the royal cheetah.

In a special scientific center cheetahs "De Wildt" from individuals with a normal color, a small cheetah with an unusual color was born.

How does a cheetah hunt?

The cheetah is active mainly during the day, when there is very good visibility. As a rule, the cheetah prefers to hunt at prime time or in the evening, but when it is not yet completely dark. The fact is that the cheetah does not like to hunt at night.

The cheetah's hunting process is as follows: the cheetah does not attack its prey from cover, but catches its prey in pursuit, alternating a very high-speed run with long and powerful cheetah jumps.

While pursuing its prey during the chase, a cheetah can instantly change its direction of movement.

The cheetah knocks down its prey with one blow of its paw, after which it strangles its caught victim.

It should be noted that if the victim still escapes during the cheetah's pursuit, then he leaves the victim alone. So, while chasing a prey, a cheetah spends quite a lot of energy, so it is easier for a cheetah to let go of a potential victim than to chase it for a long time.

In this case, he will definitely repeat his new attempt until he catches food for himself.

What does a cheetah eat?

The basis of the cheetah's diet consists of ungulates, and it is also not uncommon for a cheetah to eat small prey, namely hares. It should be noted that cheetahs are very careful about food.

So, for example, they will never eat carrion, and after they eat, but the prey is not eaten, the cheetahs will not eat it again. Typically, a cheetah will hunt new and fresh prey.

Cheetah breeding

When advancing mating season in cheetahs, the males of these animals form small groups of 3-5 individuals, which necessarily include adult individuals from the same litter. All this is necessary in order to protect their territory from males from other groups, which may also contain possible female partners.

The gestation period of a female cheetah can last from 80 to 90 days, while the female is capable of reproducing from two to five kittens at a time.

Little kittens are born blind and defenseless, and only after 9-15 days do the cubs' eyes open.

At birth, small cheetah kittens have long and soft fur, which has a slightly grayish color with a blue tint, and spots on the skin begin to stand out after some time, but the tip of the tail has a dark color, which will simply disappear after 3-5 months.

Almost all cheetah cubs live with their mother until they reach 1-1.5 years of age, after which young and independent cheetahs begin to live independently.

The most difficult periods for cheetahs are considered to be autumn and spring; it is at this time that they often suffer from various viral diseases.