Range.
Historically cheetahs were found throughout Africa and Asia from South Africa to India. They are now confined to parts of eastern, central and southwestern Africa and a small portion of Iran.
In 1900, there were over 100,000 cheetahs across their historic range. Today, an estimated 9,000 to 12,000 cheetahs remain in the wild in Africa. In Iran, there are around 200 cheetahs living in small isolated populations.
Did You Know?
When cheetahs are running, they use their tails to help them steer and turn in the direction they want to go, like the rudder of a boat.
Behavior.
Found mostly in open and partially open savannah, cheetahs rely on tall grasses for camouflage when hunting.
They are diurnal (more active in the day) animals and hunt mostly during the late morning or early evening. Only half of the chases, which last from 20 - 60 seconds, are successful.
Cheetahs knock their prey to the ground and kill with a suffocating bite to the neck. They must eat quickly before they lose the kills to other bigger or more aggressive carnivores.
Cheetahs are also typically solitary animals. While males sometimes live with a small group of brothers from the same litter, females generally raise cubs by themselves for about a year.
Did You Know?
Unlike other big cats, cheetahs cannot roar. However, they can purr on both inhale and exhale, like domestic cats!