These are slow twitching fibers which have plenty of mitochondria and high concentration of myoglobin (that’s why they’re called red). In the forelegs, type I muscle fibers are predominant The cheetah has varied muscle fibers in the forelegs and hinder legs. During a run, they play a role of sprint spikes which provide the cheetah with great grip. The cheetah is the only cat whose claws are not retractable. Incredibly long leaps (to 7 meters) made by a cheetah when it’s running make the animal spend half of the time in the air while running.Ĭheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) Claws as “spikes” Studies have shown that there are several factors deciding about the cheetah’s great speed: Long leaps The cheetah is very slender, it has a delicate body and low weight, which allow the cheetah instant acceleration.Īn experiment conducted by researchers showed that a rabbit that had been 5 meters (16 ft) far from its den couldn’t escape a cheetah that had been 40 (130 ft) meters far from the rabbit. And without any effort, it can reach the speed of 75 km/h (47 mph). When chasing its prey, the cheetah can reach the speed of 120 km/h (75 mph), but only at a short distance. These cats hunt mostly antelopes and small mammals… and birds. It is very rare that cheetahs attack people. After a short chase, the cheetah catches and kills it. HuntingĬontrary to the other cats, the cheetah hunts mostly at daytime. The cheetah’s claws resemble spikes in sprint shoes, because they have a similar function – they provide a grip to the surface during a fast run. It is associated with the cheetah’s paws, and claws that are weakly retractable. The name Acinonyx (the cheetah is the only species of this genus) comes from a Greek word meaning “a thorn” or “a claw”. The cheetah, although it belongs to the cat family Felidae, contrary to its larger cousins, does not belong to the genus Panthera, but Acinonyx. The subspecies: the king cheetah ( Acinonyx rex) and the wooly cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus guttatus) are not officially recognized, because of their recessive genes. Tanzanian cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus fearsoni/raineyii ) – found in Eastern Africa (Kenia, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda).Sudan cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus soemmerringi) – found in Central Africa (Chad, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, Central African Republic, Sudan).South African cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) – found in Southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Congo, Mozambique, Namibia, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe).Northwest African cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus hecki) – found in Northern Africa (Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Mali, Mauretania, Morocco, Niger, Tunisia).Eastern Africa cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus velox) – found in Eastern Africa.Asiatic cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) – found in Asia (Afghanistan, India, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Russia).There are six subspecies of the cheetah, however, their taxonomic status has not been fully determined. You can find the answer to this question in the list – The fastest animals in the world – TOP10, where we have presented a table with the speed of almost 100 fastest animals. Is the cheetah the fastest animal in the world? However, unlike other big cats, the cheetah is not a Panther. The cheetah is a species of a predatory mammal from the family Felidae – the family of cats. It lives in plain areas, such as steppes and savannahs. Several hundred individuals are found inter alia in southern Kazakhstan and Afghanistan. Previously, it lived almost the entire Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, now the range of occurrence is very limited. Cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus) – the fastest land animal in the world
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |