What affects us affects cats
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 of the sun. In other words reflections from the cat’s fur into the eyes …
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.
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.
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.
The question in the title is asking, indirectly, the maximum lifespan of the cheetah. I will also provide, from a very reliable source, the lifespan of the cheetah in various locations. It is stated that as with all the felids, longevity in the wild is about half that in captivity. Wild-caught cheetahs in captivity …
Lion predation is the main cause of cheetah cub deaths. Cheetah cubs suffer a considerable mortality rate during the first few months of life. It is difficult, though, to study cheetah cub mortality rates because cheetah mothers keep their cubs well hidden during the first 6-8 weeks of their lives. Karen Laurenson studied cheetah …
Perhaps the better question is: “were there white cheetahs?” because I had never heard of someone seeing a white cheetah these days until today (see below). Have you heard of modern day white cheetahs? If so please tell us. That said, both black and white cheetahs have been recorded. They are exceptionally rare it …
No one knows when cheetahs were first discovered because there is no record of that unique moment in the history of this much admired wild cat species. This is because it happened so long ago. Cheetahs have been on the planet for far longer than “anatomically modern Homo sapiens1” (modern humans). It is said …
