Cheetah

[mposthumus]

September 2012 - Kanniedood Dam just after 7 in the morning, and raining "cats" and dogs!! But a great sighting non the less


On the match

Up with the riverbank

the 1st one

followed by the other two

Nice pose





And away they go . . . .

[Penga Ndlovu]

Well done MP.

I have seen a coalition in 2009 there, but there were 5 of them.
Seeing as it was 3 years ago and Cheetahs lives only 4 to 6 years in the wild it will be very likely that a few of them are gone already.

These ones are quite young so it won't be the same ones.

[Dewi]

Great pics MP.

That's a rare pic of that Cheetah caught on a camera trap PN.

OK, continuing with the feast in KTP...

[nan]

for your feast, nice to follow the apprenticeship of the small one

me too, in KTP, I'm not proud... but we can see how the Cheetah use her tail during a chase
she is Caster, 26.2.2011

[Amoli]

These are stunning pics Dewi and Nan....

After so much action, I feel a bit shy to post my humble pics....

[Toko]

[Penga Ndlovu]

I like it Toko. -O -O


There are most likely only two subspecies - the African cheetah (jubatus) and the Asiatic cheetah (venaticus). Given the current lack of evidence, even these subspecies classifications leave room for doubt. Asiatic Cheetahs haven't been studied much because there aren�t many of them left to study, and the region in which they live is inhospitable, both to the cats and to the people who would study them.

However, the differences between cheetah subspecies are no more than a nuance for people who still confuse cheetahs with other spotted cats such as leopards, jaguars, and even servals. To add fuel to the fire, cheetahs have been called Hunting Leopards in some older texts.

Cheetah classification has changed dramatically over the years, depending on the observations and beliefs of the time. They have been called Felis jubata, meaning cat with mane, and also Felis cynailurus or Cynofelis, meaning dog-like cat. Cheetahs do have several similarities to dogs, including their paw prints and the skinny greyhound waist, but cheetahs are not related to dogs. Their current classification is Acinonyx jubatus, where Acinonyx refers to non-retractable claws, and jubatus means having a mane. Cheetahs are the only cats classified as Acinonyx.

Ironically, one of the features most often used to separate cheetahs from the other cats, the non-retractable claws, is actually a myth, or at best a partial truth. Their claws are partially retractable, but only because of weaker ligaments. Cheetahs do have the ability to move their claws forward and back. Also, the absence of claw sheaths makes the claws appear to stick out farther. Because the claws are exposed, the nails wear down and tend to remain blunt. As a result, cheetah footprints usually include claw imprints - a contributing factor to the now defunct cat-dog hybrid myth.

[Penga Ndlovu]

Because of the cheetahs somewhat extreme shape, they were originally classified as being an early divergence from the cat family tree. However, using a measure described as genetic distance, the cheetah is not the first cat species to split off. That distinction goes to the Clouded Leopard. Cheetahs turn out to be most closely related to the Temminck's Golden Cat, the Caracal, and the Puma.

All cheetahs today are closely related to each other, but they are not identical. Even clones or genetically identical twins will have physical differences, but cheetahs are not even genetically identical. As an example of how they differ, every cheetah has a unique coat pattern, so no two cheetahs have the exact same spots or stripes. Researchers use this feature to help identify cheetahs observed in the field, using photos of the side of the face, or other local indicators such as the pattern of stripes on the tail.
Species Description

The most easily recognized marker on a cheetah is the black tear lines than run from the inner corners of the eyes to the outer corners of the mouth. Cheetahs are tan to pale yellow with a white underbelly, and with solid round black spots everywhere (including the face) the largest being approximately 1/2 inch in diameter. Cheetahs have a mane of longer hairs around the neck and shoulders, but it's not much to see. Their ears are small and rounded with a black patch on the back. The tail, which is relatively long, has rings of stripes instead of spots and has a solid colored tip (but not a tuft like a lion tail). They have soft brown to amber eyes.

Even ignoring color and coat pattern entirely, cheetahs are easy to recognize by silhouette. The limbs are long and slim (proportionally longer than other cats). The body is deep chested, not heavily muscular, with a very lean abdomen that makes the cat appear to be starving all the time. The head is round, and proportionally small, with small rounded ears high on the sides of the head.
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Cheetahs range in size from 6 feet to 8 feet long, nose to tail tip, and weigh around 42 kg (about 92 pounds), with females being slightly smaller - on average about 5 kg smaller, or around 82 pounds.

Leopards and jaguars, the most common cats of confusion, are both larger, have green to yellow eyes, and rosette clusters rather than single spots. Neither has the distinct facial tear stripes. Servals can cause confusion because they also have solid spots and the hint of facial stripes, but servals are smaller and have a very different body type, including their unmistakable high towering ears.

Unlike cheetahs, the Panthera or Great Cats can roar. This is due to a difference in the hyoid, a U shaped bone right under the mandible (lower jaw). Cheetahs do not have this adaptation, so cheetahs (and also pumas) cannot roar, but as a result they can purr and do so quite often. The Great Cats cannot maintain a constant purr - they make a similar purring sound on exhale only. Cheetahs also vocalize through growling, hissing and spitting, just like a house cat. Most distinctively, both adults and cubs make a chirping noise that sounds quite a lot like a bird chirp.

[nan]

thank you
Gus and Margie use the spots inside the front legs to identify them

[Penga Ndlovu]

True and another one is the black patch on the back of the ears.

Butt in fact. Each Cheetah has a unique spot orientation.