Amazon Quiz: In which continent are the majority of these animals located?
North America
Africa
Asia
Europe
Answer: Africa
Cheetahs are large cats found primarily in Africa. However, a small population also exists in northeastern Iran. The world’s fastest animal can grow between 1.1m and 1.4m and their tails measure between 65 to 80 cm. Cheetahs usually weigh between 34 to 54 kgs, but males are usually heavier.
Though cheetahs can reach speeds of up to 112km/h in three seconds, they aren’t known for stamina. Hence, cheetah chases usually last for less than a minute and cover only 200-300 meters.
The females of the species lead solitary lives and raise the kids by themselves, keeping them in dens and teaching them to hunt. Males, on the other hand, bond and form coalitions to defend a certain territory which they mark as home. Cheetahs, unlike most cats, hunt by day, which minimizes risk of losing prey to other predators.
In ancient Egypt, Cheetahs were companions of pharaohs and were somewhat worshipped as well. The cat goddess, Mafdet, is often pictured with a cheetah’s head.
Known for their spots, which help provide camouflage during the hunt, Cheetahs got their name from the Hindi word ‘chita’, which means ‘spotted one’. At one time, cheetahs were found in India as well, but went extinct from the subcontinent around 1952 due to poaching and loss of habitat.
The fast cat still remains under threat from the illegal wildlife trade, with there being a demand for cheetahs as pets in the Arabian Gulf. Around 90% of the cheetah population has disappeared since the 1900s, as per a ZSL study, and since their rate of repopulation is slow, the species remains in danger of complete extinction.
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