Cheetah on the Open Grassland Coloring Page: PDF Sheet

The Cheetah, Fastest Cat on the Grassland

The Fastest Land Animal

The cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world, able to sprint between sixty and seventy miles per hour in short bursts. It can go from a standstill to highway speed in about three seconds, faster than most sports cars. That blazing speed only lasts a few hundred yards, though, because a hard sprint overheats the cheetah's body in less than a minute, so every chase is a quick, all-or-nothing dash.

Almost everything about a cheetah's body is built for speed. It has a small head, a slim frame, long legs, and a very flexible spine that coils and stretches like a spring with each stride, letting all four feet leave the ground twice in a single bound. Unlike other cats, a cheetah's claws do not fully pull back, so they grip the ground like the spikes on a runner's shoes.

Tear Marks and a Steering Tail

The two black lines running from a cheetah's eyes down to its mouth, clearly shown on this scene, are called tear marks. They work a little like the black stripes athletes wear under their eyes, cutting the sun's glare so the cheetah can watch faraway prey on bright, open grassland. They may also help focus its gaze during a high-speed chase.

A cheetah's long, muscular tail is more than decoration. During a fast turn it swings out like a rudder or a tightrope walker's pole, helping the cat balance and change direction without tumbling. The tail often ends in a few dark rings and a white tip, which may help cubs follow their mother through tall grass.

Spots, Not Rosettes

A cheetah's coat is covered in small, solid black spots, unlike the leopard's ringed markings called rosettes. Those scattered spots break up the animal's outline in dry grass, helping it sneak close before the final rush. Cheetah cubs are born with a cape of fuzzy silver fur along their backs that may help them hide, or even make them look like a fierce little honey badger to keep predators away.

Cheetahs cannot roar the way lions and tigers do. Instead they make bird-like chirps, high yelps, and a soft purr, sounds that seem gentle for such a swift hunter. Mothers use these calls to keep track of their cubs on the wide, open plains.

Cheetahs on the African Plains

Most cheetahs live on the grasslands and semi-desert plains of eastern and southern Africa, with a tiny population of Asiatic cheetahs surviving in Iran. Unlike lions, cheetahs hunt mostly during the day, using their sharp eyesight rather than strength, and they target speedy antelope such as gazelles. Because they are lighter than other big cats, cheetahs often lose their meals to lions and hyenas and must eat quickly.

Fewer than about seven thousand cheetahs remain in the wild, which makes them a vulnerable species. They need large stretches of open country to hunt, so protecting grassland like the plain in this scene is vital. For thousands of years people admired cheetahs for their grace and speed, and even kept them alongside royalty, a history that adds to the animal's lasting appeal.