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cheetah

cheetah

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

cheetah , carnivore of the cat family, Acinonyx jubatus, native to Africa and SW Asia as far east as India. Formerly numerous all over their range, they are extinct now in Asia except for small numbers in Iran's Dasht-e Kavir, and are threatened in all of their range. Very little is know about the rare and elusive Saharan cheetah.

The cheetah's method of hunting deviates from that of most cats in that it runs down its prey, rather than stalking it and pouncing upon it for the kill. This doglike method of hunting is suited to its habitat, which is open grassland. The swiftest four-footed animal alive, it can achieve bursts of speed of over 60 mi (95 km) per hr and is the only animal capable of running down black bucks and gazelles.

An average cheetah is about 2 1/2 ft (75 cm) tall at the shoulder and weighs about 100 lb (45 kg). It has long legs and a tawny coat with closely spaced round black spots. It is unique among cats in having nonretractile claws. Cheetahs are tamable and were used for centuries in India for hunting game; they sometimes have been called hunting leopards.

Cheetahs are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora, family Felidae.

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cheetah

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

cheetah Spotted large cat found in hot, arid areas of Africa, the Middle East and India. A long-legged animal with blunt, non-retractable claws, the cheetah has a tawny brown coat with round black spots. Capable of running at more than 95km/h (60mph), it hunts gazelles and antelopes by sight. Length: body: 140–150cm (55–60in); tail: 75–80cm (30–32in); weight: 60kg (132lb). Family Felidae; species Acinonyx jubatus.
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cheetah

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

chee·tah / ˈchētə/ • n. a large spotted cat (Acinonyx jubatus) found in Africa and parts of Asia. It is the fastest animal on land.

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cheetah

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Copyright

cheetah XVIII. — Hind. cītā — Skr. citraka-, f. citrá- bright, variegated.
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T. F. HOAD. "cheetah." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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cheetah

A Dictionary of Zoology | 1999 | | Copyright

cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) See FELIDAE.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "cheetah." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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cheetah

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

cheetah •cater, crater, creator, curator, data, debater, delator, dumbwaiter, equator, freighter, frustrater, gaiter, grater, gyrator, hater, later, legator, mater, negator, pater, peseta, plater, rotator, skater, slater, stater, tater, traitor, ultimata, understater, upstater, waiter •painter •taster, waster •gamester • aviator • tailgater •hesitater • shirtwaister •Akita, Anita, arboreta, beater, beta, Bhagavadgita, cheater, cheetah, Demeter, Dieter, dolce vita, eater, eta, Evita, excreta, fetor, granita, greeter, heater, Juanita, litre (US liter), Lolita, maltreater, margarita, meter, metre, Peta, peter, praetor (US pretor), repeater, Rita, saltpetre (US saltpeter), secretor, Senhorita, señorita, Sita, skeeter, teeter, terra incognita, theta, treater, tweeter, ureter, veleta, zeta •Batista, Dniester, Easter, feaster, keister, leister, quaestor •speedster •deemster, teamster •scenester • browbeater • windcheater •beefeater •millilitre (US milliliter) •decilitre (US deciliter) •centilitre (US centiliter) •kilolitre (US kiloliter) •ammeter • Machmeter •millimetre (US millimeter) •decimetre (US decimeter) •altimeter •centimetre (US centimeter) •nanometre (US nanometer) •micrometer, micrometre •decametre (US dekameter) •kilometre (US kilometer) • autopista •anteater

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

Cheetahs built for speed, but can they elude extinction?(Neighbor)(Kids ink)
Newspaper article from: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL); 8/2/2006
Cheetah countdown: does inbreeding - or zoo life - hinder this feline's...
Magazine article from: Science News; 9/25/1993
Cheetah, real star of the Tarzan movies, is dead at 80; Chimp that made...
Newspaper article from: Daily Mail (London); 12/29/2011

Facts and information from other sites

cheetah images
Two cheetahs in the wild. Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)

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