All About Cheetahs

Written by: Natalie Yao

Cheetahs are incredible creatures that can run at super fast speeds across the savanna. While they might be much larger than your pet at home, Cheetahs are actually in the same family as cats! In addition to the cats being able to run fast, they help our environment greatly and it is important to learn about them.

Where Do Cheetahs Live?

Most cheetahs can be found in parts of East and South Africa, but some can be seen in Asia. They live in large open areas that make it easy to hunt for food like in savannas, grasslands, and deserts. While they normally stay on the ground, cheetahs are also able to climb trees so that they can see farther in the distance and hide from predators.

Cheetah Features

Cheetahs are mammals, which means that they have a backbone, hair or fur, and breathe air. Their bodies are a tan color covered with many dark spots, which allows them to blend into their surroundings yet they have a white belly. One way to identify if an animal is a cheetah is that they have a black line that goes from their eyes to their mouth!

From head to tail, cheetahs normally are about 6.5 feet long. Their bodies are very slim which makes them not weigh much, an adult cheetah weighs anywhere between 75 to 120 pounds. Cheetahs also have very good eyesight that helps them find food that can be hard to see during the daytime.

Being the fastest land animal on Earth means that they need to have the physical features to help them. In fact, Cheetahs can go from 0 to 60 miles an hour in under 3 seconds! To do this, cheetahs have long legs that help them have a large stride. The sharp claws and hard paws of the creature also help them grip the ground when they run at fast speeds.

What Do Cheetahs Eat?

These large cats are carnivores, meaning that they eat other animals. Cheetahs usually hunt medium sized animals such as gazelles, impalas, and hares. The speed that cheetahs allow them to catch their prey before they realize that they are in danger.

How do Cheetahs Help Our Environment?

Cheetahs are a key part of our environment because they keep the amount of smaller animals like herbivores at a good number so that there are not too many of them. By keeping a good number of smaller animals, the environment has a balance that makes our ecosystem healthier by having enough water and stopping the soil from coming out of the ground. However, right now the land that cheetahs live on is disappearing because humans are using it. This is causing them to go endangered, and it is very important to try and help them.

After reading about these interesting cats and what they do for our environment, it helps us realize why it is important to learn more about cheetahs and to protect them!