9 fun facts about cheetahs
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- Cheetahs are nowhere near as dangerous as tigers, lions, leopards and all other cats. They are the least dangerous of them. And that is why usually zoo visitors can have direct contact with cheetahs with without jeopardising human life.
- Cheetahs also flee if a person makes direct eye contact or approaches them, unlike other animals, which prepare to pounce instead.
- Cheetah cannot roar due to the absence of hyoid bone in its throat. However, it can mimic some calls of birds, by displaying a chirping sound called chirrup. Birds can hear this high-pitched yelp from miles away. Any bird that hears these imitating sounds and falls for this deceiving call also falls prey to the cheetah.
- The name cheetah comes from the word chita, which in Hinduism means the spotted one.
- Cheetahs have been known to swim, but it does not like to, and much prefers to be on land.
9 fun facts about cheetahs
6) Cheetah pelt is coarse and rough and not smooth and silky, as it appears to be.
7) Cheetah’s distinctive black stripes, which are tear shaped, stretch from its eye’s corner to the side of its nose all the way down to the outside of its mouth. The stripes keep the animal from being blinded by sunlight and help it focus on its prey as they act as a riflescope.
8) The horse can be easily out run by a cheetah. But this will not last long because while running, the cheetah usually pants heavily, and its body temperature reaches 105 degrees Fahrenheit. As such, it can only keep up its top speed for just a few minutes before tiring quickly. The sprints rarely arrive at a full minute but only last for 20 seconds. Therefore, the horse would eventually win in the long run.
9) Cheetah is twice as fast as the top sprinter in the Olympics. The authorities at the National Geographic Wildlife determined that Usain Bolt would need a 40m gain to beat the cheetah. In short, Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter, will never outrun a cheetah, the fastest animal in the wild.
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