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).