He has to survive daily in the hot climate of Africa, hunt and manage to eat his prey, protect offspring and territory from stronger predators.
All this makes a cheetah - a real wild cat very vulnerable. Despite such unsweetening fate, he has a soft and peace-loving disposition. These are real cats, however, a little wild. And the sounds issued by them are very similar to those we are accustomed to.
When the cheetah - a real wild cat is satisfied and full, he growls like a huge domestic cat. In his voice you can hear almost all the sounds peculiar to domestic pets. From a loud purr, the entire body of the cheetah vibrates. This looks especially impressive when the entire cheetah family in chorus expresses an excellent mood. Adult animals growl, growl, snort and snap their teeth. Kids - snore and whistle. These whistling metallic sounds often resemble the voices of birds. This "bird chirping", which is published by adults, can be heard at a distance of two kilometers - so animals communicate with their relatives or cubs.
The average weight of the animal is 40-60 kg. It is lightness, as well as an elegant body structure, that allows a cheetah to develop an incredible speed during a run. He has long slender legs, a lean body, a flexible back and a long tail, which helps to make unexpected and steep turns at full speed, especially in cases when prey tries to escape from him. If the beast is in good shape, there is practically no chance of salvaging the victim. The lack of the necessary force of impact, for example, like a lion, is compensated by the speed, which is the best weapon and the main advantage of the predator. For a quick attack, he needs 15-20 seconds - long jumps of 6-8 meters allow him to easily overtake his prey. In the slow approach of the cheetah to the victim - the entire cat's facies. Ducking his head, using terrain unevenness, he sneaks to his victim at a distance of 80 to 120 m, followed by a short but swift pursuit. If the pursued animal does not fall into the clawed legs of a cheetah - a real wild cat in the first seconds of the attack, it can still be saved: the cheetah is easier to start all over again than to pursue the fleeing antelope for a long time. On average, only half of all launched attacks ends successfully. To ensure victory, the predator intuitively chooses the weakest animal in the herd. And sneaks necessarily against the wind, so that the potential victim does not smell the approaching threat. Spotty coloring and dexterity allow the cheetah to creep unnoticed to the distance from which it can apply its qualities to the sprinter. A few cheetahs can participate in the hunt if they live together. This only increases their chances of success. But the victim is killed by the cheetah who started the attack. Unlike other predators, this animal never feeds on prey killed by someone else, and certainly does not pick up any uneaten carrion. In the choice of food, he is particularly scrupulous. But if several days in a row, none of his hunting ends in lunch, because of hunger, he weakens, so that the chances of success are getting smaller.
Well, even a graceful cheetah - a real wild cat sometimes has to give up its principles. Select the scraps they will not, but you have to dirty their paws, which the cheetahs do not like. If you quietly sneak up to the pond, you can catch, though some bird that has lost its vigilance. What-no, but all the same food. However, such attacks cheetahs are used infrequently. And it's not even about cleanliness and fear of wetting paws. Lakes are often lodged near water bodies, which spotted cats try to avoid meetings with. For the same reason, they can safely do without water even for several weeks. And in those rare enough times when the cheetah still needs to fill the lack of moisture in the body, he is very cautious and attentive. If the rhythm of life of these super-cats is calm and successful hunting follows the schedule, their usual diet consists of Thomson ghazals, impala, hares, rabbits and other small animals. But that the cheetah did not suffer from malnutrition and he had where to run after his prey, the area of hunting grounds should be no less than 100-150 km2.
Caught up in prey is only half the job. Its protection can be much more difficult. Cheetahs at any cost avoid conflicts with other predators, whether they are an adult lion, a jackal or a hyena. Yes, they are larger than the last two, but their size does not go to any comparison with the strong and strong jaws of these predators. So when the enemy approaches the prey caught by the cheetah, then there is nothing left to do but retire.
Hunting will have to start anew. In addition, when the booty is seized and killed, cheetahs are vitally necessary for rest to catch their breath. It's all about the physiology of the beast: it develops a huge speed, and even under the scorching sun. Its internal temperature rises dangerously high and if the cheetah does not stop and cool, then such excessive overheating threatens him with brain damage and death. However, this much needed respite can be expensive - if there is another predator nearby, the cheetah will most likely say goodbye to his dinner. Its prey is easy to steal, because the small weight of this animal is more intended for high-speed running than for fighting. Sometimes even a flock of vultures or vultures can take a carcass from a cheetah, frightening it with a noisy cry and flapping its wings. Immediately, screams of scavengers will run hyenas, jackals, a pair of lions or leopards. Therefore, in order to get food and eat it, the cheetah - a real wild cat - needs to do everything as quickly as possible: to pursue, and kill, and eat.
In the family of cheetahs, one parent is a single mother, who needs to prepare her cubs for a harsh life. After the birth of the little ones, she looks for a place to hide with them and protect offspring from predators. And since the den does not suit the den, the "children's room" is located, as a rule, in the middle of some magnificent bush. The female cheetah fearlessly protects its children and perfectly hides from the enemies, carrying the young from place to place during the first months of their life.
Cleanliness is not only a guarantee of the health of her offspring, but also a guarantee that there will not be an enemy attracted by a persistent smell. However, despite all the efforts of mothers to protect their children from adversity, only a third of the young from the litter survive to adulthood. Another task is to protect the kittens at the time of the meal. Lions or other predators at the first opportunity not only take away the carcass, but also kill the young.
Quite often the female has to organize several attacks a day to feed her children. From early childhood, between small cheetahs, a strong family bond is formed. They grow together, feed and play, and as adults they live together and hunt together. They can live together even before old age. Only young females go to have young. The main lesson that little cheetahs have to learn in the first months of life is hunting. For kids, it starts with games. Chasing each other, grabbing and biting, they improve their skills. While the mother hunts, they are told to sit quietly in the thickets and do not interfere so as not to frighten off the prey or accidentally get under the hooves. And since they have a hunting instinct from an early age, they can jump out ahead of time and "help" their wet nurse. The mother has no choice but to start tracking and attacking again.
The cheetahs become independent by a year and a half. By this time, the loving mother is no longer able to search, catch and kill prey for kittens that have grown to her size. To leave was less painful, the mother leaves the grown-up cubs under the cover of night, moving away from them as far as possible. From this moment young cheetahs begin an adult life. A female in a couple of months will be ready to give life to a new spotted offspring born for speed.