Do cheetahs’ claws retract? The answer is YES, the cheetah has retractile claws but (a) the cheetah has no claw sheath and the claws protrude beyond the fur and (b) it is incorrect to describe feline claws are ‘retractile’ as they are ‘protractile’.
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The glorious, exotic cheetah, the formula one car of the animal kingdom is being pushed to the brink of extinction in the wild because of an insatiable desire for cheetah selfies and the desire of the rich citizens of the … Continue reading →
The question asks if the top speed of the greyhound is faster than that of the cheetah or vice versa. Therefore, I’m not going to go into a long discussion about the endurance and acceleration of these two animals. I’m … Continue reading →
Yes, cheetahs purr. The sound is a louder version of the domestic cat purr. The cheetah purrs: during friendly encounters when resting and after meals You can hear the cheetah purr in this video. It sounds exactly same as the … Continue reading →
The cheetah is alone in the genus Acinonyx. A ‘genus’ is a rank in the classification of the species (taxonomy). It is a sort of group of cats with the same fundamental features and in this case it is a … Continue reading →
Cheetahs can meow. This cheetah also hisses and her meow is very gentle and kitten-like. Both these sounds are made by domestic cats as we all know. The excellent book I have on the wild cats does not refer to … Continue reading →
Cheetahs have “a conspicuous black tear line [which] runs from the inner corner of the eye to the mouth” – Wild Cats of the World. The classic often repeated reason why this line exists is to help reduce the glare … Continue reading →
These are the reasons why the cheetah is endangered. Although obvious, the overarching reason is human population growth and consequential increased human activities of all kinds including the illegal trade in cheetahs.
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Cheetahs can be domesticated to a certain extent because there are many examples in history of cheetahs being tamed for hunting with people. Tame does not translate to domesticated but it is close. This is a pleasant and non-aggressive cat compared with the big cats.
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As at 2017 there are around 3,600 cheetahs in Southern Africa where almost all the cheetahs live. Only around 20% live in protected areas. The remainder live on farmland. The IUCN Red List total population estimate is twice that of a recent study. This cat is now informally endangered.
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