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Male Cheetah Half-Awake in The Living Desert

1,309 views · Published 10 December 2012 · 1:28 · Indexed 27 September 2026

Channel: Melvin Wei · 2012 · Pets & Animals

The cheetah, like all other big predatory cats, is famous and loved by all. Its Latin name is Acinonyx jubatus. Cheetas inhabit most of Africa, which is already sort of a surprise to most people, but also the Middle East as well!

The cheetah is well-known for its ability to run faster than any other land animal in existence for short bursts, accelerating from 0 kmph to 100 kmph in 3 seconds, reaching top speed at around 120 kilometers per hour over short distances up to 500 meters.

Cheetahs likely evolved during the Miocene epoch (26 million years ago to 7.5 million years ago) in Africa before migrating to Asia. All cheetahs of today have common ancestors from populations in Asia 11 million years ago. Acinonyx jubatus is the only remaining species in its genus. There were other species that used to be larger than Acinonyx jubatus found in Europe, India, and China. Another genus called Miracinonyx, which had 3 species in the Pleistocene epoch, was in North America and previous thought to be cheetahs, but as it turned out, they were not true cheetahs but relatives of the cougar! So the nature documentaries from a few years ago are already wrong in asserting in that the pronghorn antelope of North America today evolved fast running speeds to evade cheetahs. The cougar species that chased these proghorns, as well as lions, were likely giant and ferocious compared to their surviving counterpart species today, but the lions and cougars today proved to be far more adaptable to changes in availability of large prey and climate.

Cheetahs are of relatively fragile build and will avoid combat with all other top predators, feline or canine...or human. They have a very high 50% chance of making successful kills due to their running speed and agility, but are terrible at carnivore combat and will cede kills 50% of the time to other predators. However, packs of male cheetahs can hunt together and chase away competiting predators, unless they face an overwhelming number of enemies, such as packs of lions or hyenas.

90% of cheetah cubs get eaten in the first few weeks of life by other top predators, even birds of prey. Cheetahs lost all of their genetic diversity from ancient times, and it is thought that their frequent birth defects due to this inhibits their success as a species. There are 12,400 cheetahs in Africa and 50-60 cheetahs in Iran. Cheetahs in modern times rely on their status as champion land runners and their good looks to get the help of humans to ensure their survival. Cheetahs were kept as pets by royalty in the past and used for hunting.

Male Cheetah Half-Awake in The Living Desert

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