In Hindi cheetah means "spotted one." The base color of the upper parts of an adult is tawny to bale bluff or grayish white, and the underparts are paler, often white. The coat is marked by round or oval black spots measuring .75 to 1.5 in. in diameter. Only the white of the throat and the abdomen are unmarked with spots. The coat is coarse with the hair slightly longer at the nape than elsewhere. The last third of the tail is marked by four to six black rings and a bushy white tuft at the very end. The tail rings are distinctive on each cheetah and enable individual identification. The cheetah has a small head with short ears, high set eyes and a black line which looks like a tear drop running from the inner corner aspect of each eye down to the mouth. The teeth are small and the nasal passages are large. The body resembles that of a greyhound and is slim with very long legs. An adult cheetah measures 67 to 94 cm. tall at the shoulder, and is 121 to 150 cm. in length, with an additional 70 to 81 cm. in tail length. The C=cheetah males exhibits slight sexual dimorphism with the are generally larger and more robust than the females being the larger sex . weighing on average 5-10 kg more
The cheetah is a highly specialised animal which is capable of reaching speeds of 110-120 km/h in full sprint. It is understandably T the fastest land mammal.
| Cheetah |
Leopard |
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| Light build : 35 – 45 kg (female) | 45 - 60 kg (male) |
A lot of muscle mass |
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| Long and stream-lined bodies |
Shorter and stockier build |
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| Long slim legs |
Large heavy bone structure |
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| Average of 3000 solid black spots on tan fur |
Brown spots surrounded by incomplete circles called rosettes |
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| Spots cover the entire body |
Rosettes cover their backs and sides |
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| Prominent distinguishing features are the tear marks running from their eyes to their mouths |
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Adaptation of a Cheetah for speed
The cheetah’s speed allows it to hunt and to escape from danger.
It has adapted anatomically to maximise speed :
A light skeleton Not a lot of muscle (the heavier – the slower).
Body is thin and streamlined.
Its legs bones are longer in relation to b o dy size than other cats.
They run on the tips of their toes, and their spines are more flexible than other cats, allowing them to increase the size of their stride step. Their hip bones can pivot allowing them to stretch their legs further. These adaptations give the cheetah a stride of 8 meters at full speed.
A long narrow well muscled tail helps them to maintain balance, and to steer around corners change direction sharply.
Grooves on the cushions of their feet, as well as their claws (which are only semi-retractable) give them better grip on the ground.
