Cheetah: Fastest Animal on Earth

This cat is truly built for speed! Virtually every part of its body is adapted in some way to help it run faster with a Top speed of 113 kilometers per hour(70 miles per hour) which makes it fastest animal on land.

1. Large nostrils and lungs provide quick air intake; a large liver, heart and adrenals facilitate a rapid physical response.
2. Eyes give a sharp wide-view of surroundings. Dark tear marks beneath each eye may also enhance its visual acuity by minimizing the sun's glare.
3. Other big cats chase only a few hundred meters: the cheetah chases 3.4 miles (5500 meters) at an average speed of 72 kilometers per hour (45 miles per hour ).Full sprints last about 20 seconds and almost never exceed 1 full minute.
4. Usually hunts in early morning and late afternoon.
5. The cheetah is a carnivore, eating mostly mammals under 40 kg (88 lb)
6. They are found in India and commonly in South of the Sahara Desert.
7. Cheetahs can not roar.They can purr, bleat, bark, growl, hisse and chirp but the chirp can be heard a mile away!
8. An adult cheetah weighs 80-140 pounds (36-64 kilograms), is about 32 inches (81 centimeters) tall at the shoulder Cheetahs grow to between 3.5 feet and 4.5 feet long, not including their 30-inch tails - males are a little larger than females.

9. Average female home ranges extend to 833 square kilometers (322 square miles).
10. The average size of male territories is 37.4 square kilometers (14.4 square miles).
11. The average life span of wild radio-collared female cheetahs is 6.9 years which compares to 11.7 years for females in captivity.
12. At 6 weeks the young are strong enough to follow the hunt and when they are about 6 months old the mother will capture live prey for them to practice killing.
13. The spot pattern plus the ring pattern on the tail enable the identification of cheetahs (by humans).

Pronghorn/Pronghorn Antelope:Second-Fastest Land Animal

It can run exceptionally fast, being built for maximum predator evasion through running, and is generally accepted to be the fastest land mammal in the Western Hemisphere.

Type: Mammal

Sound

• It has a very large heart and lungs, and hollow hair so it can sustain high speeds longer than cheetahs.
• Although built for speed, it is a very poor jumper. Their ranges are often affected by sheep ranchers' fences.

Food and Life

• They are Herbivore
• They eat a wide variety of plant foods, often including plants that are toxic to domestic livestock (sheep and cattle)
• They seldom drink water, because they receive most of their water from the plants they eat.
• Pronghorns have an average lifespan of around 10 years.

Habitat

• Pronghorns live primarily in grasslands but also in brushland and deserts.
• The range extends from southern Canada through the United States southwestern Minnesota and central Texas west to coastal southern California and northern Baja California and northern Mexico.

Migration

• They migrate from the foothills of the Pioneer Mountains through Craters of the Moon National Monumentto the Continental Divide covering more than 160 miles.

MEASUREMENTS

• Adult males are 1.3–1.5 m (4 ft 3 in–4 ft 10 in) long from nose to tail, stand 81–104 cm (32–41 in) high at the shoulder, and male weigh 36–70 kg (79–150 lb) ,while female weigh 41–50 kg (90–110 lb).
• The body temperature is 38 °C (100 °F).
• The horns of males are well developed 12.5–43 cm.Females have smaller horns 2.5–15 cm

Population

• By the 1920s, hunting pressure had reduced the pronghorn population to about 13,000.Protection of habitat and hunting restrictions have allowed their numbers to recover to an estimated population of between 500,000 and 1,000,000.

Pronghorn antelope; Second Fastest Animal on Earth

There is no other antelope like the wildebeest. It looks like it was assembled from spare parts – the forequarters could have come from and ox, the hindquarters from an antelope and the mane and tail from a horse. It is 4th fastest animal on land.

Scientific Name: Connochaetes taurinus Type: Mammal Diet: Herbivore Group Name: Herd

Speed:

Habitat

• They like to live in grassy plains and open woodlands in southern, central, and eastern Africa.

Population

• The wildebeest is one of the few African antelopes to have extended its range in the last 50 years.
• They numbered about 250,000 in 1960 and are thought to number 1.5 million today.

Food and Life

• Strictly grazers, wildebeest prefer short grass.
• They are unable to go without water for more than a few days.
  
• Wildebeest can live more than 30 years, though their average lifespan is around 20 years.
• Wildebeest are continually on the move as they seek favorable supplied of grass and water
• They are active both day and night.

Measurements

• Female wildebeest (cows) are smaller than the male.
• A full grown wildebeest can be 4 ft 2 in (1.27 m) to 4 ft 10 in (1.47 m) at the shoulder.
• They weigh 265–600 lb (120–270 kg).

Migration

• Wildebeest are known for their annual migration to new pastures.
  
• Wildebeest usually begin their migration in the months of May or June.
• However, if it is a particularly dry year, migration may begin earlier because of the decrease in vegetation.
• Factors that affect migration include food, water, predators, and also phosphorus level.
• Ecologists have found that the main reason that wildebeest migrate is to find high quality food during the whole year.
• Major predators that feed on wildebeest include the lion, hyena, cheetah, leopard, and heyna.

• In recent years, Botswanan authorities placed thousands of kilometers of fences across the Kalahari. These fences prevented wildebeests from reaching watering holes and grazing grounds, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of individuals
• There are some populations that do not migrate.These groups can be found in the Ngorongoro Crater, Selous, Hwange, and Esotha.

Species and Subspecies

• They belong to genus Connochaetes.
• Connochaetes includes two species, black wildebeest and the blue wildebeest.
• Today there are five subspecies of the blue wildebeest while the black wildebeest has no living subspecies.
• The blue wildebeest is the bigger of the two species, standing taller and weighing more than the black wildebeest
• In males, the blue wildebeest stand 150 cm tall at the shoulder and weigh around 250 kg while the black wildebeest stands 111 to 120 cm tall and weighs about 180 kg

Breeding and Young Ones

• Wildebeest usually breed at the end of the rainy season( May to July).

• The gestation period is about 8 to 9 months.
• Up to 500,000 calves are born in February and March each year.
• Calves learn to walk within minutes of birth.
• Within days are able to keep up with the heard.
• Newborns are a yellowish-brown, but change to adult colour (Grey) at about 2 months.

Life Threats

• Wildebeest are killed for food, especially forbiltong, which is dried game meat.
• They are an important food source for predators such as lions and hyenas.

Springbok; SIXTH FASTEST ANIMAL ON EARTH

Measurements

• Their colouring consists of three colours, white, reddish/tan and dark brown.
• They stands about 70 to 88 cm (28 to 35 in) high depending on the age.
• Males weigh between 33 and 50 kg (73 and 110 lb) and the females between 25 and 40 kg (55 and 88 lb).
• They can reach running speeds of up to 96 km/h (60 mph).
• They can leap 3.50m and can jump of up to 15 m.
• Rams are slightly larger than ewes and have thick horns

Habitat

• Springbok live in the dry inland areas of south and southwestern Africa.

Population

• Springbok occur in numbers of up to 2,500,000 in South Africa.
• Their numbers have diminished significantly since the 19th century due to hunting and fences from farms blocking their migratory routes.

Food and life

• They are mixed feeders.
• They graze on long grasses and browse on shrubs and succulents.
• They can survive without drinking water over years. In extreme cases, they do not drink any water over the course of their.

Breeding and Young Ones

• The social structure of the Springbok is similar to the Thomson's gazelle.
• Bachelor Males and females form separate groups.
• Single females leave the group to give birth.
• Mothers and fawns gather in another herds called nursery.
• New born males in bachelor herd,while young females live with their mothers until they mate and give birth.

Predators

• Springboks are mostly eaten by Cheetah Leopards Black-backed-jackals and Hyenas.
• Lions sometimes hunt them.
• The springbok was hunted by primitive man using stone tools.
• Springbok are hunted as game throughout Namibia, Botswana and South Africa because of their beautiful coats,and because they are cheap to hunt.

Thomson's gazelle; Fouth Fastest Animal on Earth

The Thomson gazelle is exceptionally alert to sounds and movements, and its fine senses of hearing, sight and smell balance its vulnerability on the open plains.

Scientific Name: Eudorcas thomsonii Type: Mammel Diet: Herbivore Group Name: Herd

Speed:

Habitat

• Thomson's gazelles live in Africa's savannas and grassland habitats, particularly the Serengeti region ofKenyaand Tanzania.
• They live in open plains and grasslands.
• It does, however, move into dense woodland during migration.

Food and Life

• Gazelles are mixed feeders.
• In the wet seasons, gazelles eat primarily lush green grasses.
• Although grasses make up about 90% of the tommie's diet in dry season, it also eats seeds ,bushes, forbs, and clovers and browses on shrubs.
• In the wild, Thomson's gazelles can live up to 10–15 years.

Measurements

• Thomson's gazelles are 50 to 70 cm (20 to 28 in) tall.
• Their weight is 15 to 25 kg (33 to 55 lb) (females), 20 to 30 kg (44 to 66 lb) (males).
• They can run at the speed of km/hour.

Breeding and Young Ones

• During the wet season,they spread out more and more and establish breeding territories.
• Younger males usually spend their time in bachelor groups and are prevented from entering the territories.

• As the female groups pass though and forage, the territorial males may try to herd and are usually successful in preventing single females from leaving but not whole groups.
• Their gestation period is 5-6 months.
• They can give birth to young ones twice a year.
• First six hours of the fawn’s life, it moves and rests with mother but eventually turns away from its mother and lies down and hides in the grass.
• The mother returns to fawn daily for an hour and nurse it.

Population

• Their population is about 550.00.
• There has been a population decline of 60% from 1978–2005.

Life Threats And Preedators

• Tourist impacts, habitat modification, fire management, and road development are major threats to them.
• Their major predators are cheetahs, which are able to attain higher speeds, but gazelles can outlast them in long chases and are able to make turns more speedily.
• They are also preyed on by lions,leopards, hyenas, baboons, and crocodiles.
• They bound leap, known as stotting or pronking, used to startle predators and display strength.

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LION; THIRD FASTEST ANIMAL ON EARTH

One of Africa's Big Five, the lion is a carnivore (meat eater) and a hunter. It uses its powerful forelegs to grab or slap down large prey.Its legs are short with very powerful muscles enabling it to sprint and bring down large prey.

Invincible Lion of Self Paramahansa Yogananda

Mane

• The mane of the adult male lion is unique among cats and is one of the most distinctive characteristics of the species.It makes the lion appear larger, providing an excellent intimidation display.
• The colour of the male's mane varies from blond to black, generally darkens with age.

Territories

• Lions are the only cats that live in groups,usually of 3 or more up to 2.5 dozens.



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• Males defend the pride's territory, which may include some 100 square miles (259 square kilometers) of grasslands, scrub, or open woodlands
• These intimidating animals mark the area with urine, roar menacingly to warn intruders, and chase off animals that encroach on their turf.

Lions spend much of their time resting and are inactive for about 20 hours per day.The average sleep time of a captive lion is said to be 13 and a half hours.

Subspecies

• Traditionally twelve recent subspecies of lion were recognised.Today only eight subspecies are usually accepted.
• Lions have been known to breed with tigers to create hybrids called ligers and tiglons. They also have been crossed with leopards to produce leopons,and jaguars to produce jaglions.
• The white lion is a special morph with a genetic condition,leucism, that causes paler colouration.

Measurements

• The lion is the tallest of all living cats, shoulder height is up to 123 cm (4 ft) in males and 91 cm (3 ft) in females.

• Head and body length is 170–250 cm (5 ft 7 in – 8 ft 2 in) in males and 140–175 cm (4 ft 7 in – 5 ft 9 in) in females.
• The tail length is 90–105 cm (2 ft 11 in - 3 ft 5 in) in males and 70–100 cm in females (2 ft 4 in – 3 ft 3 in)
• Weights for adult lions range between 150–250 kg (330–550 lb) for males and 120–182 kg (264–400 lb) for females.
• Male lions are 20 to 35% larger than the females and 50% heavier.
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Communication

• Lions communicate through body contact. Passing lions of the same pride greet each other by rubbing their cheeks together.

Hunting and Diet

• Lions are powerful animals that usually hunt in groups but,they are not particularly known for their stamina.

• Thus, they only run fast in short bursts, and need to be close to their prey (30 meters or less) before starting the attack.
• They usually target the closest prey. The attack is short and powerful.
• The lioness is the one who does the hunting while male lion usually stays and watches its young ones.
• The prey consists mainly of large mammals, with a preference for wildebeest, impalas, zebras,buffalo, warthogs,nilgai, wild boar, and several deer species.
• An adult lioness requires an average of about 5 kg (11 lb) of meat per day, a male about 7 kg (15.5 lb)

Population and Habitat

• Most lions now live in eastern and southern Africa, and their numbers there are rapidly decreasing, 30–50% for last two decades.
• Some subspecies now survives in and around the Gir Forest of northwestern India.Their numbers are slowly increasing.
• Estimates of the African lion population range between 16,500 and 47,000 living in the wild in 2002–2004
• Habitat loss and conflicts with humans are primary cause of decline of population.
• They have 10 to 14years of life in wild but,they can live for more than 20 years in captivity.