Frankie Nevin

Professor Ken Davenport

Zoology

6 November 2018

The Predatory Relationship Between Cheetahs and Other Species

Cheetahs are not only one of the sexiest and fastest creatures to walk the Earth

but they are also smart predators. The cheetah -- Acinonyx jubatus -- is the only extant

species left in the genus Acinonyx. What made me gravitate towards these fearsome

predators -- other than their obvious attractiveness -- was their ability to band together

and attack bigger prey. The typically solo hunter will band together with its brothers to

hunt for larger prey like an ostrich. This strategy to successfully hunt larger prey as a

group compensates for the cheetah’s individual weaknesses compared to other cats.

In order to fully appreciate the cheetah’s ability to work together in hunting we

must first understand some characteristics of the cheetah

and examine the more “typical” relationship the cheetah

has with its prey.

Cheetahs have slender,

aerodynamically-built

bodies with small

high-set eyes. They have

small teeth in comparison to other “big cats” - as

researchers call them - which is an adaptation that

allows them to have larger nasal passages the enable quick air intake. This adaption

does have a price; however, because of their small teeth, cheetahs must rely on

suffocation to kill instead of just chomping on their prey with their teeth.

In the map above, the blue areas are where you might find cheetahs. They are

found in only the African savanna and though they are not endangered, their low level of

genetic variation makes them highly susceptible to disease.

The cat has a top speed that can average around 60 to 70 miles per hour but

only for about 300 yards. The typical jog for a cheetah usually is around 45 miles per

hour for an average of about 3.4 miles! Their special paw pads and semi-retractable

claws provide great traction and their large nostrils and lungs help them take in air

quickly so they can breathe more easily while running and trying to suffocate their prey.

Something I never would have guessed about this majestic creature is that because of

its size and build is that this creature tends to be more shy and submissive. They are

easily overwhelmed and chased away from their prey by bigger cats like lions or even

hyenas.

What makes the cheetah different than other big cats is that they are primarily

diurnal predators. Cheetahs have poor night vision compared to the rest of the big cat

kingdom. As a result, cheetahs are the only big cat that hunts during the day. As I was

researching, many sources state that cheetahs rely more on their sense of sight than

their sense of smell! So I guess their day vision

must be pretty good in comparison! The typical

diet for a cheetah includes gazelles, wildebeest

calves, impalas and other small hoofed animals, but that does not prevent them from

eating other prey such as rabbits, birds, hares, antelopes, warthogs or even an ostrich!

Since the African savannah is not known for an abundant water supply -- just the

opposite -- so cheetahs have adapted the ability to survive on just one drink every three

to four days. Do not let their sexy exterior prevent you from realizing their intelligence.

Cheetahs are experienced hunters and have developed a hunting strategy to

compensate for what the big cat kingdom calls shortcomings.

The hunting strategy starts with the cheetah spotting its prey. The cheetah does

not have the luxury of night to hide it from its prey, so they must think of clever ways to

approach its potential dinner target. The cheetah spends its mornings and early

evenings scouting for prey while the light is low. For a cheetah to hunt under the heat of

the high sun would exponentially increase the

amount of energy it would need to catch its

meal. They will perch atop kopje -- a small hill in

a generally flat area -- or the top of a termite

mound.

Once the cheetah has spotted its prey, it

must approach with utmost delicacy. If they are

seen, heard or even smelled it could potentially

scare off the prey and the cheetah would have

to start over. Their typical prey targets usually

are herd animals that take turns being on the

look out for predators. The cheetah will approach from downwind of its prey so that their

scent will not give them away. The spots across its slender body serve not only as a fun

pattern (and coat) but as camouflage. The color of the tall grass allows them to blend in

to their surroundings. The cheetah does not attack its prey until it knows for sure that

they can catch them. At this point many cheetah experts consider the cheetah to be

stalking its prey. The cheetah utilizes its spots and silently approaches through the tall

grass to get as close to its prey as possible. Fortunately, their favorite prey typically

gather at watering holes where tall grass grows -- creating an ideal hunting ground.. The

cheetah continues to approach -- treading softly and slowing -- so as not to not be

detected by its prey. Do not be fooled by the cheetah’s title as fastest land animal in the

world because the species is more of a sprinter than a long distance runner. For a

cheetah there is not 100% guarantee that each hunt is successful so it must preserve its

energy for when it is most needed during the ambush.

It is finally time for the kill. After all these paragraphs of exposition it is finally time

for the cheetah to ambush its prey. The

cheetah is with 50 yards of its prey and

starts its surprise ambush. Once the

cheetah is detected, the herd will

disperse and the cheetah will chase

down the slowest members of the herd

before it becomes exhausted. The

cheetah will burst from the tall grass

using its long tail as a rudder and trip its prey with its paw. Can you imagine being

attacked by a killer and they trip you and by your own sheer clumsiness as you take

your final breath? Sucks! Now that the cheetah has knocked its prey off its feet - or

should I say hooves? -- the cheetah goes in for the fatal bite! The cheetah bites its

prey's neck to suffocate it. This is all continginate on the fact that the cheetah was able

to capture its prey. More times than not, the cheetah will pursue its prey with no

success. Now that the cheetah has finally caught its prey it must eat it as soon as

possible. To reduce the risk of a scavenger like a hyena or a larger cat like a lion from

stopping by and just taking their victory, the cheetah might even start feeding before the

prey is even dead. One thing I never realized about the big cat kingdom is that out there

in the wild there is hierarchy and cheetahs rank fairly low in the predator department. As

I stated before cheetahs tend to be shy and submissive because when comes to lion vs.

cheetah the lion will always win.

Typically this lonesome hunter will only attack smaller prey but some cheetahs

have figured out that if they band together they can successfully attack larger prey. In

the LIFE video narrated by David

Attenborough we get in-depth analysis

of the crazy phenomenon. In the video,

we see a trio of cheetahs -- brothers --

that have learned there is strength in

numbers so that can attack large prey

like an ostrich -- an animal twice their

size. This is a dangerous game they play because if one is in injured in the hunt there is

no way they achieve the prize. At first glance, the ostrich only notices one cheetah and

think nothing of it but in an instant one becomes three and before the ostrich has any

chance of avoiding the attack. Throughout the ambush, the cheetahs face the danger of

being on the receiving end of a fatal kick by the ostrich but the reward is too high to give

up. The band of brothers is successful in the hunt.

The cheetah is a fierce and clever predator. One might think for a animal of such

size it might only be hindered with only being able to attack small prey. It is a lesson that

we as humans can take a note. That though we may be small in comparison to big cats

of the jungle, we too can band together and conquer the urban jungle.
 Works Cited

“Cheetah.” ​Smithsonian's National Zoo,​ 11 June 2018, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/cheetah.

“Cheetah Facts - About Cheetahs - What Do Cheetahs Eat? Where Do Cheetahs Live?”

Conservation Institute,​ 10 July 2018, www.conservationinstitute.org/cheetah-facts/.

“Cheetah's Hunting Habits.” ​Cheetah and Hunting ,Cheetah's Hunting Skills,​

www.lions.org/cheetah-hunting.html.

Earth, BBC, director. ​LIFE.​ ​YouTube​, YouTube, 22 Sept. 2017,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkhE14Rou-E.

“The Fastest Land Mammal Can't Outrun Extinction on Its Own.” ​African Wildlife Foundation,​ 2

Mar. 2018, www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/cheetah.

“How Cheetahs Hunt For Food.” ​#CheetahFacts​,

www.allaboutcheetahs.info/details/2015/10/19/how-cheetahs-hunt-for-food.html.