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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about cheetahs. Stay up to date on new animal facts by subscribing! Cheetahs were a request from Aquarium Show and Cheetah Girl. What an appropriate name for this request!

Cheetahs and humans go way back. Like… we’re talking before this era way back. Cheetahs have appeared in ancient artworks, been depicted as goddesses, and were even used as hunting partners. I mean, can you blame us? Cheetahs are freaking awesome! Not only are they the fastest land mammals currently alive, they’re also able to purr, and they come in five different varieties.

The five sub-species of cheetahs living today are found mostly in Africa with some small populations scattered throughout parts of Asia. Just over 10,000 years ago, this was a different story. Cheetahs were even living in North America before a mass extinction event wiped them, and many other mammal species, off the face of the planet. It’s guessed this event is in part what has led to one of biggest threats cheetahs faces as their numbers decline today.

See, at this point, cheetahs are considered a vulnerable species. It’s guessed that there are less than 10,000 living wildly today. Some of their largest threats include poaching and a high mortality rate in young (which we’ll get to in a bit), but another threat actually comes from within. Cheetahs have low genetic diversity, which means they are not as well equipped to adapt to a changing world. This can also cause issues for conservationists looking to help boost cheetah populations - and that’s not even discussing how difficult it is in general to breed captive cheetahs! Interestingly, in the wild, cheetahs are successful breeders - they just aren’t always successful parents.

At about two years of age a female cheetah becomes ready to reproduce. Female cheetahs tend to have larger territories that overlap with the smaller territories of groups of males. When they interact, it’s a quick meeting and then the female is off on her own again. It takes about three months for a cheetah to gestate and she may have anywhere from 2 to 8 cubs in her litter. She’ll keep them hidden, moving them between dens, trying to keep them out of sight of larger predators.

One of the largest contributing factors to cheetah cub death is other predators. Lions and hyenas will kill cheetah cubs if discovered, so cheetah moms have to stay vigilant as their small size is no threat to these big boys of the savannah. Cubs that survive their first few weeks of life will begin to learn hunting techniques at about six weeks of age. They’ll continue learning even after their mother leaves them at about 18 months of age. Female cheetahs tend to live in an overlapping territory with their mother, and males will form groups in territories away from where they were raised.

In general, cheetahs live in grasslands, though they can also be found in rocky areas and places with more dense vegetation. Their spotted coats afford them camouflage in their environment, giving them the opportunity to sneak up on unsuspecting prey, and their tear-shaped marks help reduce the glare of the sun. Unlike most cats, cheetahs are diurnal, choosing to hunt in the cooler parts of the day.

Cheetahs tend to eat medium sized ungulates such as impala, other smaller antelope, and gazelles but they can also take bigger animals such as kudu, and smaller animals such as hares. Their record breaking speed can make scoring a meal easy once they have the hang of it, but they have adapted to eat fast since their meals can be stolen by other, larger predators. In the wild, cheetahs may live to be between eight and ten years old but in captivity they can reach fifteen.

For more facts on cheetahs, check out the links in the description. Do you learn something new about these quick cats today? Be sure to give a thumbs up for cheetahs, and thanks for watching Animal Fact Files.