Cheetahs--my favorite of the big cats

Cheetahs are the fastest, and certainly one of the most beautiful, large cats on earth.  They can run up to 90 mph for a maximum of 100 yards, depending on their bursts of speed to catch their prey.  Beyond that, they tire quickly and lose their meal since the small antelope they hunt can outlast them if they can outrun them.

Yesterday, we watched a cheetah mother and cub.  She was quite skittish, which isn't typical for East African cheetahs, who are quite used to all the trucks rumbling through their terriroty.  She took off running for the trees while her cub went in the other direction, not sure what to do.  Eventually, she circled back towards her cub, but only after she felt safe.  As a result of their minimal mothering, 90% of cheetah cubs die before reaching maturity.  That is an awful toll, resulting from starvation to attacks by larger cats.  Cheetahs weigh only about 80 pounds at full maturity, so are no match for leopards and lions.

In Samburu, in northern Kenya, we watched 3 cheetahs running through the grass.  They slipped behind some bushes high above the Samburu River before emerging to cross right in front of our Land Cruiser, stopping to drink water from the puddles left after a heavy rain.  They were not hunting as they were fat from an earlier kill.

We have usually seen cheetahs in groups of 2 to 4, often all sitting on a termite mound to survey the surrounding area.  They prefer the Thompson's Gazelle as food because it is small and easier to catch than the larger antelope and gazelles.

Cheetahs sleek build is a wonder to see.  They are aerodynamic, with small heads merging into a lean, but muscular body.  In the photos below, you can see the distinctive black teardrops running down from their eyes and the beautiful spots that make them hard to see in the deep grass.