Facts about Cheetah

1. 09

   The cheetah's distinctive tear marks, dark lines running from eyes to mouth, reduce glare from sunlight during high-speed daytime hunts across open terrain.

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2. 08

   Slender builds weighing only 75 to 145 pounds make cheetahs the lightest of Africa's big cats, sacrificing muscle mass for the skeletal structure needed for extreme acceleration.

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3. 07

   Roughly 90 percent of cheetah hunts end in failure, making them less successful predators than lions or leopards despite their superior speed.

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4. 06

   Cheetahs possess enlarged nasal passages and lungs that supply 60 percent more oxygen to their muscles during high-speed pursuits compared to other big cats.

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5. 05

   A cheetah's tail comprises nearly half its body length and acts as a rudder during high-speed turns, enabling the animal to change direction at speeds exceeding 60 miles per hour.

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6. 04

   Female cheetahs typically give birth to 3 to 5 cubs after a gestation period of approximately 90 to 95 days.

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7. 03

   Unlike other big cats, cheetahs cannot roar but instead purr, chirp, and meow to communicate with each other across the African savanna.

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8. 02

   Non-retractable claws on cheetahs function like cleats, providing traction by remaining semi-permanently extended unlike other felines' retractable claws.

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9. 01

   At 70 miles per hour, the cheetah reaches speeds only 10 mph slower than a peregrine falcon's diving velocity.

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