Being Human
Related Articles
If you’ve ever happened to watch a wildlife program on your TV or mobile screen, you must’ve noticed how majestic wild animals are. Their hunting strategies and surviving habits can render anyone speechless. The fact that the lion is the king of the jungle is as familiar as boiled potatoes.
But who is the king when it comes to chasing the prey?
And not just chasing it, roaring past it leaving no chance for it to escape. Well, it’s not the lion. It’s the one and only the cheetah.
So how fast can a cheetah run? Lighting fast. That’s how we can put it in the simplest way.
However, there’s no reason to stick to simple ways anymore. Since we are talking about the animal which is built just for speed. When you’ll come across the magnitude of their speed then you’ll realize why they are called Nature’s Speedsters.
Let’s unravel it.
This article is highly capable of keeping you rooted in your place with mind-boggling information about cheetahs. Ready for a ride around the wild?
Fascinating facts about one of the most fascinating animals: Cheetah
Before resuming our discussion about the speed it’s important to turn on our fascination levels by having a look at a string of facts about a cheetah.
So let’s dive right in.
- The scientific name given to the Speedster is Acinonyx jubatus.
- Africa and central Iran are home to this magical cat.
- The mass of a cheetah ranges from 46 to 158 lbs.
- This big cat is categorized under the vulnerable category.
- Around 7100 cheetahs are present in the wild and their numbers are decreasing drastically.
- A cheetah doesn’t roar. It meows or purrs instead.
- The spotted coat animal is gifted with natural camouflage.
- It drinks water every three to four days.
- A cheetah has tear marks running all the way from the corner of its eyes down the side of the nose.
Read on to discover more.
What is the reason behind a cheetah’s astonishing bullet-like speed?
The fastest animal on land is designed with the precision to come first in any race. The only thing is it never competes with anybody. It just runs to catch that prey running from him. Thinking it can save itself. To make the body structure of the Speedster more clear, Animal Planet puts it aptly ‘Animal Engineering at its finest.
Ready for some cheetah action?
The spine is the real deal
They have a muscular streamlined body backed up by the longest and one of the most flexible spines of the entire cat family. The vertebrae connections are exceptionally loose enabling it to flex inwards.
The spine allows the cheetah to cover up to 22 feet with a single stride. Reaching 40 miles an hour with just 3 strides. Also, the sharp semi-retractable claws grip the ground like running spikes.
It feels like it’s flying instead of running.
The lightweight skull
In comparison to other similar-sized cats, the skull of a cheetah is much shorter and lighter. This helps in expanding the nasal cavity. Hence reducing the weight of the head and keeping it fixed in one place.
A tail like no other
The tail of this magical animal is two and a half feet long and accounts for crucial balance adjustments. Without it, they won’t be able to maintain their spectacular speed and would fall.
All that goes in that head
The most magical thing is that they barely move their head while chasing their prey. With laser-focused eyes, the neck stretched out and their head in place, it’s absolutely impossible for the poor prey to look for an escape.
According to the scientists, it’s because of their ears. Cheetahs have the longest inner ear canals in comparison to other cats. Their canals are filled with liquid which is lined with tiny sensory hairs. As soon as the animal sets itself into action, these hairs measure its body movement through the movement of the liquid-filled in the ear canal.
This information is then transferred to the brain which ultimately uses it to keep the head of the cheetah under perfect control.
In addition to this, these ear canals are super sensitive enabling the cheetah to retain its entire focus on the prey. No distractions when the time comes to fill that belly.
What’s in those Cheetah legs?
The muscles in the hind legs of a cheetah are largely dominated by the fast-twitch fibers.
According to the recent discovery, a particular type of the aforementioned fibers assist in the exceptionally high explosive power that goes into the run when it comes into action.
Simply perfect!
So, how fast can a Cheetah run?
After being thorough with what goes behind that unbelievable speed. The moment has finally arrived to put into words the magnitude.
A cheetah can go from 0 to 60 mph (96.6 km/h) in just 3 seconds.
Or we can say, a cheetah can attain a top speed of 70 miles per hour. Isn’t that crazy?
The exceptionally fast animal is capable of accelerating at a speed of 29 feet per second.
The maximum speed that can be attained by this speeding animal is estimated to be as fast as 128 km/h.
Are you able to believe it’s actually possible? Well even if you don’t a cheetah won’t stop being the fastest predator on the planet. Unbeaten.
A cheetah is not as fierce as a lion or a tiger. It doesn’t stand a chance to take them down. Since this cat is only here to run at its best. Better than anyone else. Wow!
Conclusion
In this article, centered around the wild, we’ve answered a very intriguing question. How fast can a cheetah run? After reading all about the lightweight animal with those long legs and that skull. Now you can answer that question on your own.
We are sure, every detail mentioned in this article is going to stay with you. Such is the fascination and perfection of the fastest animal on earth.
You May Like These Articles As Well:
