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cheetahs, the fastest land mammal
on the planet
[Sound track music]
Did you know that a cheetah can
go from zero to sixty miles per hour in only three seconds?
even the world's fastest sport cars are no match to that
in fact, a cheetah can accelerate four times as fast as a human
due of course to the greater muscle power
[Sound track Music]
cheetahs have small heads and canines to be more aerodynamic
which means smaller wind resistance, and a light body weight
for maximum speed.A cheetah can reach a speed of up to 75 miles per hour.
Its thin and fragile body make it well suited for short distance
high speed, but not long distance running.
Have you ever wondered why a cheetah has those
black tear marks? Those tear marks
act by minimizing the sun's glare to allow a better vision
of the prey. In fact cheetahs
hunt by vision and not by scent
and the prey is usually stalked at a distance within 10
to 30 meters
While running, in addition to having good traction due to its semi-retractable
claws
the cheetah uses its tail as a rudder for steering purposes
to allow it to make sharp turns; the flat tail
also helps this big cat change its direction
at anytime. Also
a cheetah can slow down by nine miles per hour.
[Sound track Music]
When a cheetah
chases its prey, it keeps its head steady and eyes focused on the target
and the big cat's respiratory rate increases from 60 to 150 breaths per
minute
thanks to the big nostrils that allow an optimum
level of oxygen to be inhaled
to better understand how a cheetah runs
what we really need to look at is the movement of its spine
The spine of this big cat is built somewhat like a spring
this gives longer strides due to the more
free running motion, allowing greater
distance coverage
When the cheetah hunts the prey, this process usually takes less than a minute
if the cheetah fails to make a catch quickly
it will give up. The cheetah has an average
hunting success rate of around 50 percent
Cheetahs have the ability to pull the claws in while sprinting
and let them out right when they need to take down the animal
Now imagine if the claws were sticking out
they will scrape against the ground and slow down the cheetah.
and that is the reasons why the animal has semi-retractable claws
The cheetah,
or the smallest big cat as many people call it, must rest for a while before
eating to replenish oxygen to the brain
running at such speed increases the Cheetah's body temperature
almost to the point where it might cause brain damage