Asian cheetah: description, photo

Cheetah is one of the most beautiful and graceful predators in the cat family. He attracts with his color, elegance and is considered the fastest of all terrestrial living beings. Today, these predators are divided into two main types: the African and Asian cheetahs. An animal from the latter group is on the brink of extinction.

External characteristics

The cheetah is different from other feline predators. The animal has very long paws, its head relatively small, the body is muscular and slightly elongated. The ears are small and round in shape. The height of the cat, if measured on the withers, reaches a meter, and its weight ranges from 40 to 65 kg. All these indicators make the animal an excellent runner. In addition, the long elastic tail is an excellent "rudder" at high speed. The difference between these felines is that claws on their paws are not drawn in, but always remain "ready." This feature is necessary for the cheetah, so that when running, the pads do not "slip" off the surface of the earth. Asian cheetah has a sandy-yellow color on which small black spots are scattered. From the eyes on the face of the black strips fall, which emphasize their beauty. The fur of the animal is short.

On the hunt ...

The cheetah refers to the weak predators, which suffer from "high school students". For example, lions, leopards and even hyenas can take the animal legally caught prey and run the runner. He can not stand up for himself for the reason that he is very exhausted during the chase of the game and does not have time to gain strength to defend his dinner. Therefore, the Asian cheetah goes on a hunt during the day, while the powerful predators rest from the heat.

Having found a suitable target, the predator approaches it almost openly. From a distance of 10 meters begins a short sprint. In two seconds the speed of the cheetah will reach 75 km / h, the maximum in the pursuit, he will develop about 110 km / h. The beast is able to sharply change direction, clearly landing at the point that it needs. At this point, his breathing increases 150 times. With a sharp claw on the wrist of the front paw, he knocks down the victim, and then strangles her. But such a race can last only 20 seconds, for which he will run about 400 meters. If during this period the Asian cheetah does not manage to catch the target, it stops the pursuit, because it lacks oxygen. 50% of such hunting for this predator ends unsuccessfully. It is also noteworthy that the beast eats only those victims, which he caught and killed himself.

Ration

These felines prefer to hunt ungulates in small sizes. So, their diet can include gazelles, kids, wildebeest, impala. In difficult times, when the beast can not find the usual prey, it catches hares, birds and even rodents. Cheetahs often hunt in pairs or three, such a company they are able to defeat a large-sized victim or catch an ostrich. The main food of these fleet-footed are Thomson's ghazals. They make up the cat's diet by almost 90%. Their cheetah sacrifice is sought, using mainly eyesight, not smell. This species belongs to territorial predators. It is interesting that only within the limits of their possessions can be hunted by a cheetah. An animal sometimes unites with siblings to protect its territory from other spotted runners. In addition, females that live within the conquered boundaries belong to the victorious males.

Kittens

The offspring are born about three months. The light usually appears 2-5 kittens. Since mothers have to go out from time to time to hunt, the kids remain defenseless. This is why crumbs have an unusual appearance up to three months old. On the withers there is a gray fluffy "mane", and on the tail - a brush, because of which predators confuse kittens with a ferocious bastard and do not approach them. But the mother on these grounds easily finds its offspring in the bushes. Before you go on a hunt, a caring cat hides his young. As the animal does not suit for itself a dwelling, the family constantly "moves" to different places. Despite such protection, the survival rate of the young was always very small. Caring for crumbs is very difficult, because they are too quick and, playing, can not notice the danger. For eight months the female feeds its cubs with milk. The Asian cheetah lives near his mother for about a year and a half, after which he leaves. During this time, he must independently learn how to obtain food. Total animal lives to 20 years. Although in zoos this number is higher. Living in captivity even in excellent conditions, this animal practically does not give offspring.

Man and cheetah

It has long been noticed that this animal easily gets used to a person. In the ancient centuries for hunting, the Asian cheetah was caught. Description of the process of hunting shows that this predator could afford only a wealthy person. The cheetah was put on caps on the eyes and was brought to the place where the herds are grazing in the cart. After that, the animals opened their eyes and gave him the opportunity to attack the victim.

Soon almost every nobleman had his own cheetah and even not one. Although ideal conditions were created for many animals, they did not multiply anyway, and if they were breeding, it was very, very rare. To maintain the number of these "pets" rich people constantly caught young ones at will. This circumstance partially affected the fact that the population of these felines decreased, and in Asia and India the Asian cheetah disappeared altogether. The photo above just shows a tamed predator.

On the verge of extinction

But the sharp reduction in the species was also due to the fact that man began to develop the territory of wild nature, where these spotted animals lived. In addition, cheetahs for some time were the object of human hunting, they were killed for the sake of beautiful fur. Today, this species has been preserved in some zoos, there are 23 specimens, only a dozen of them remain, as the Russian Red Book says. The Asian cheetah continues to die out, as the number of prey that serves the predator as the main source of food is reduced at large. The African species of the animal is still found on the continent, but its population is also rapidly shrinking.