Who is the cheetahs prey

Females in estrus often chirp to attract mates. Both male and female cheetahs also chirp when distressed.

Males may chirp when separated from members of their coalition and when reunited. Moms and cubs will do the same. Cheetahs may even be able to identify each other by the sound of their chirps. Cheetahs have blunt, semi-retractable claws.

Their paw prints have visible claw tips, appearing more similar to a dog than a cat! Unlike most cats, which are nocturnal predators, cheetahs primarily hunt in the early morning and late afternoon.

They rely heavily on sight, scanning the countryside from atop termite mounds or kopjes — small, rocky hills. Once a cheetah spots its prey, it creeps closer before its final sprint. These carnivores eat small antelope, including springbok, steenbok, duikers, impala and gazelles, as well as the young of larger animals, such as warthogs, kudu, hartebeest, oryx, roan and sable.

Cheetahs also hunt game birds and rabbits. A cheetah must eat its kill quickly, as it can be bullied away from its catch by lions, hyenas or even groups of vultures. Camouflage is not only essential for stalking prey but also for protecting cheetah cubs from predators. Cubs are a different story. When first born, like all kittens, they are utterly helpless and can easily be killed in their nursery den while their mother is off hunting.

Cheetahs are frequently killed by farmers and ranchers in defense of livestock. In Namibia, though, this is changing as ranchers are learning to coexist with cheetahs and to adopt other ways to defend their herds. Guard dogs and donkeys, for example, deter cheetahs very effectively.

The cats defer immediately to these large, loud, aggressive and determined adversaries. A male and female cheetah meet very briefly to mate. The male then leaves the female and has no part in raising the cubs. After a gestation period of 90 to 95 days, the pregnant female gives birth to a litter of 3 to 6 cubs. Cheetah litters tend to be larger than those of lions or leopards, but infant mortality is particularly high among cheetahs.

A cheetah mother will defend her cubs aggressively against small predators such as jackals and will do her best to fend off leopards and spotted hyenas.

If a lion attacks, though, the mother cheetah may mock charge and vocalize but will probably keep her distance. Cheetah cubs nurse for the first six weeks of life but begin to tear and eat bits of meat as soon as their milk teeth erupt.

Like other cats, cheetah cubs learn to hunt and kill by shadowing their mother. At about seven months of age, they can actively participate in the hunt. A mother cheetah will help her cubs along by leading potential prey to them and allowing them to make the kill. By about 18 months of age, cheetah cubs are proficient enough hunters to survive on their own. This is about when the family breaks up. The mother abruptly leaves, going her own way while the cubs stay together and fend for themselves.

All of the cubs stay together until the females first go into estrus around age two. Sisters then leave to pursue solitary lives while brothers usually stay together. Today, fewer than 12, wild cheetahs survive, down from , a century ago. They are extremely rare anywhere in their Asian range and are increasingly rare in Africa, particularly outside of protected national parks.

The combination of poaching, habitat encroachment so that cheetahs are competing with stronger predators for less prey in a smaller geographic range than ever before , and extermination by ranchers are overwhelming the ability of the species to adapt and survive.

In Namibia, conservationists are working hand-in-hand with local farmers to show them how they can peacefully coexist with cheetahs. If cheetahs don't quickly devour their prey, they run the risk of tougher animals stealing their meals. Cheetahs are speedy creatures, and so are their hunting sessions, which usually only last for between 20 seconds and a minute, according to the Defenders of Wildlife organization.

Out of all of their pursuits, they usually only accomplish trapping the prey about 50 percent of the time. Cheetahs aren't always the predators -- sometimes they're the prey, too. The youngsters are especially susceptible to the dangers of predation. The species' various predators include human beings, leopards, eagles, spotted hyenas and lions. By using the site, you agree to the uses of cookies and other technology as outlined in our Policy, and to our Terms of Use. Cheetah's Prey Animals Cheetahs enjoy their meat, and some of their common prey animals are smaller antelopes and wildebeests, guineafowl, gray duikers, impalas, kudus, gazelles, springboks, ostriches, jackals, hares and even birds.

Hunting Style These diurnal cats go out to hunt when it's light out, in attempts to stay away from both leopards and lions.