Cheetah Yawning (Acinonyx jubatus) - a photo on Flickriver

            Masai Mara National Reserve
Kenya
East Africa

Happy Caturday! Cheetah relaxing on the plains. 

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at 80 to 128 km/h (50 to 80 mph) with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being 93 and 98 km/h (58 and 61 mph), and as such has several adaptations for speed, including a light build, long thin legs and a long tail. 

The cheetah lives in three main social groups, females and their cubs, male "coalitions" and solitary males. While females lead a nomadic life searching for prey in large home ranges, males are more sedentary and may instead establish much smaller territories in areas with plentiful prey and access to females. 

The cheetah is active mainly during the day, with peaks during dawn and dusk. It feeds on small- to medium-sized prey, mostly weighing under 40 kg (88 lb), and prefers medium-sized ungulates such as impala, springbok and Thomson's gazelles. The cheetah typically stalks its prey to within 60–70 m (200–230 ft), charges towards it, trips it during the chase and bites its throat to suffocate it to death. 

It breeds throughout the year. After a gestation of nearly three months, a litter of typically three or four cubs is born. Cheetah cubs are highly vulnerable to predation by other large carnivores such as hyenas and lions. They are weaned at around four months and are independent by around 20 months of age.
 
The cheetah occurs in a variety of habitats such as savannahs in the Serengeti, arid mountain ranges in the Sahara and hilly desert terrain in Iran. The cheetah is threatened by several factors such as habitat loss, conflict with humans, poaching and high susceptibility to diseases. 

In 2016, the global cheetah population was estimated at around 7,100 individuals in the wild; it is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. In the past, cheetahs were tamed and trained for hunting ungulates. - Wikipedia

Taken in: Kenya / Narok / Ol Kiombo (show map)

Taken on: September 6, 2010

Tags:

•Kenya 2010

Masai Mara National Reserve

East Africa

Cheetah

Acinonyx jubatus

Large Cat

Felinae subfamily

IUCN Vulnerable

Animal

Mammal

2016 7100 Individuals

Habitat Loss

Poaching

Illegal Pet Trade

Conflict With Humans

Genus Acinonyx

Slender Body

Lightly Built

Actively Mainly During Day

Males Sociable

Coalitions

Prey on Impala

Gazelles

Run 70 MPH

Breed Throughout Year

coth5

Sunrays+5

NGC « less

Sets appears in: • Kenya, Tanzania, Sept. 2010

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