Cheetah Hunting African Safaris

African Cheetah

(Acinonyx jubatus jubatus)

Current all time records
SCI: Score 14 3/16 - Namibia, Mount Etjo - 4/97
Rowland Ward: Score 14 1/2 - Mpumalanga RSA - 1978

Description: The cheetah is built for speed. It has long, slim, muscular legs, a small, rounded head set on a long neck, a flexible spine, a deep chest, non-retractable claws, special pads on its feet for traction and a long, tail for balance. Although fast, the cheetah cannot run at full speed for long distances (100 yards is about the limit) because it may overheat.

Cheetahs have distinctive black "tear stripes" that connect from the inside corner of each eye to the mouth that may serve as an anti-glare device for daytime hunting.

Other Common Names: Duma (Swahili)

Size: 30 inches at the shoulder, 110 to 140 pounds

Range: Scattered throughout Africa except for deserts and rain forests, year around (may not currently be imported into the U.S., but it is importable into many other countries). As long as their value is reduced by not being imported into the U.S., many locals kill them as vermin.

Natural History: Cheetah mothers spend a long time teaching their young how to hunt small live antelopes are brought back to the cubs and released so they can chase and catch them. Unlike most other cats, the cheetah usually hunts during daylight, preferring early morning or early evening, but is also active on moonlit nights.

Cheetahs do not roar like lions, but they purr, hiss, whine and growl. They also make a variety of contact calls, the most common is a birdlike chirping sound.

Once a cheetah has made a kill, it eats quickly and keeps an eye out for scavengers lions, leopards, hyenas, vultures and jackals will occasionally take away their kills. Although cheetahs usually prey on the smaller antelopes such as Thomson's gazelles and impalas, they can catch wildebeests and zebras if hunting together. They also hunt hares and other small mammals and birds.

Although known as an animal of the open plains that relies on speed to catch its prey, research has shown that the cheetah depends on cover to stalk prey. The cheetah gets as close to the prey as possible, then in a burst of speed tries to outrun its quarry. Once the cheetah closes in, it knocks the prey to the ground with its paw and suffocates the animal with a bite to the neck.

Hunting Characteristics: