The adult cheetah, though more social than the leopard, is a solitary animal. The male cheetah is territorial and marks its territory with urine. Males may live in small packs of related or non-related individuals, forming a ┐coalition┐ to defend larger territories. Females live alone and are not territorial to any extent. The female may range over five times the space males do; a mother cheetah and her family usually range over an area of about 80 square kilometres.

Cheetahs are active during the day, an unusual characteristic of the species compared to other members of the cat family. The big cats do not like other members of the species. They will chase and even kill members of other species. All members of the cat family can climb trees and all members sharpen or exercise their claws by scratching tree trunks.

Diet

The cheetah feeds on antelope, principally gazelles and impalas, and other small mammals and birds. A female cheetah with cubs kills around 300 antelopes per year. Cheetahs hunt by day, stalking their prey, lying in wait and then carrying out a short chase. The average chase lasts 20 seconds, few lasting more than a minute. Often the prey┐s legs are pulled from under the body, thus tripping it up. The prey is then held by the back of the neck. Cheetahs normally hunt in the early morning and late afternoon. At a kill, cheetahs tend to eat as quickly as they can, always on the alert for other carnivores, to whom they often lose their prey.

Adaptations

The long legs and flexible backbone allows the cheetah its incredible speed. The backbone acts like a spring propelling the cheetah forward. Adapted for the high speed chase, the cheetah has a very large chest, a small waist, and a very long and somewhat flattened tail to use as a ┐rudder┐ on tight turns at high speed.