Why cheetahs are important

Direct hunting in some parts of Africa for skins contributes to cheetah population declines, as does the illegal trade in live cubs and adults, many of which die during transport. The low density of cheetahs throughout their range means they require conservation action on a scale that is seldom seen in terrestrial conservation. This includes transboundary cooperation, land use planning across large landscapes to maintain habitat connectivity, and human wildlife conflict mitigation.

As well as providing a regional framework, these strategies also provide a framework for national conservation action planning. Cheetahs are diurnal hunters, as they hunt during the day and rest at night.

This is because they mainly use their sight for hunting, rather than scent. Although cheetahs are hunters, they are occasionally hunted by other big cats such as lions, Nile crocodiles, spotted hyenas, and even leopards. Cheetahs used to be able to be found throughout all of Africa, and even into India. Now, they are mainly found in southern Africa, below the Sahara Desert.

In this area, cheetahs may be found in open plains, savannah, open woodland, and semi-barren zones. They have also been known to live in areas of dense vegetation, and even mountainous terrain. As opposed to other big cats such as the lion, tiger, and leopard, the cheetah lacks the ability to roar, and does not possess very good climbing skills. Instead, its body is built for speed, with various adaptations for it.

These adaptations include enlarged nostrils for increased oxygen intake and enlarged heart and lungs to help move the large amount of oxygen in the body more efficiently. Cheetahs are longer and more slender with longer legs than other big cats.

Other adaptations for speed and agility include semi-detractrable claws for superior traction, a long, flat tail used as an assist for stability in making sharp turns at high speeds, and a flexible spine that acts a spring, giving the cheetah more power. Besides being adapted for speed and agility, the cheetah possesses other adaptations that allow for better hunting skill. Cheetahs have high-set, forward facing eyes that allow for better sight and stalking of prey.

The distinct cheetah hide is characterized by black dots on a beige background and offers some camouflage while hunting. In the wild, cheetahs are able to live up to twelve years old, and in captivity, they can reach ages of twenty. Males reach sexual maturity within twelve months of birth, and females reach sexual maturity in about twice this time, twenty to twenty-four months. There is no specific time of the year when cheetahs will mate.

Females are sexually promiscuous as they frequently have cubs with different males. When the split from sisters occurs, the males will roam until they can find and defend a territory. This process can take a few years and males may travel hundreds of miles, being moved out of one area to another, pushed on by more experienced male coalitions.

Eventually, the group will find a place where they can settle. Cheetahs that become orphaned at a young age, and are brought into a rehabilitation situation, can be paired with non-related individuals to form a coalition. When these cheetahs are released back into the wild, the created coalitions will often remain intact throughout the life of the individuals. Females lead solitary lives unless they are accompanied by their cubs. Female cheetah home ranges depend on the distribution of prey.

If prey is roaming and widespread, females will have larger ranges. Estrus in female cheetahs is not predictable or regular. This is one of the reasons why it is difficult to breed cheetahs in captivity. Mating receptivity depends on environmental factors that, researchers have found, are triggered by the proximity of males and their scent markings. Estrus lasts up to 14 days and females will mate with multiple males during this time period. Male cheetahs that encounter a female cheetah in estrus will stay with her and mate up to three days and at intervals throughout the day.

When it comes to mating, there are no dominant males within the coalition that claim exclusive access to females. All males within a coalition will mate. Unsustainable human expansion and irresponsible consumption can cause pressure on ecosystems worldwide. Population research has shown that when habitat is destroyed and populations become fragmented and isolated, the rate of inbreeding increases and the genetic diversity lowers.

Physiological impairments such as: poor sperm quality, focal palatine erosion, susceptibility to infectious diseases, and kinked tails are a result of low genetic diversity within both the wild and captive cheetah population. Cheetahs are visual hunters. Unlike other big cats cheetahs are diurnal, meaning they hunt in early morning and late afternoon. The hunt has several components.

It includes prey detection, stalking, the chase, tripping or prey capture , and killing by means of a suffocation bite to the throat. The prey species on which the cheetah depends have evolved speed and avoidance techniques that can keep them just out of reach. Cheetahs will also prey on the calves of larger herd animals.

Cheetahs generally prefer to prey upon wild species and avoid hunting domestic livestock. The exception happening in sick, injured and either old or young and inexperienced cheetahs. Keeping livestock in kraals and utilizing non-lethal means of protection can dramatically reduce livestock predation. While cheetahs can reach remarkable speeds, they cannot sustain a high speed chase for very long. They must catch their prey in 30 seconds or less as they cannot maintain maximum speeds for much longer.

Cheetahs spend most of their time sleeping and they are minimally active during the hottest portions of the day. They prefer shady spots and will sleep under the protection of large shady trees.

Cheetahs do not hunt at night, they are most active during the morning and evening hours. The cheetah serves a special role in its ecosystem. Cheetahs are one of the most successful hunters on the savanna but their kills are very often stolen by larger carnivores or predators that hunt in groups.

Predators play an important role in any ecosystem. They keep prey species healthy by killing the weak and old individuals.

They also act as a population check which helps plants-life by preventing overgrazing. Without predators like the cheetah, the savanna ecosystem in Namibia would be very different and the current ecological trend toward desertification would be accelerated.

They growl when facing danger, and they vocalize with sounds more equivalent to a high-pitched chirp or bubble and they bark when communicating with each other. The cheetah can also purr while both inhaling and exhaling.

Only a handful of individuals remained. The population of cheetahs rebounded. Once found throughout Asia and Africa, today there are fewer than 7, adult and adolescent cheetahs in the wild. In Namibia, they are a protected species. Most wild cheetahs exist in fragmented populations in pockets of Africa, occupying a mere 9 percent of their historic range. In Iran, fewer than 50 Asiatic cheetahs a sub-species remain.

The largest single population of cheetahs occupies a six-country polygon that spans Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Angola, Mozambique and Zambia. In captivity cheetahs can live from 17 — 20 years. In countries across Africa, like Namibia, it is illegal to capture and take live cheetahs from the wild.