Cheetahs

Cheetahs live on the grassy plains of Africa and parts of Asia. The cheetah is the fastest wild cat. In fact, it is the fastest land animal! Cheetahs can run up to 70 miles (113 km) an hour. That’s as fast as a car speeding on a highway!

Cheetahs have a mostly yellow-brown coat covered by black spots. They are usually about 3 feet (.9 m) tall and about 6 feet (1.8 m) long.

Baby cheetahs are called cubs. They stay with their mother until they are about a year and a half old. Their mother teaches them to hunt.

Unlike most wild cats, cheetahs hunt during the day. Cheetahs use sight more than smell to find food. Their prey are medium-sized animals like young warthogs and small antelope. They may also hunt birds and can make sounds like birds to trick their prey!

Cheetahs sneak close to prey. Then they use their speed to catch the animal.View Larger Image

© Tom Brakefield/Corbis