Species profile
About the cheetah
Cheetahs depend on visibility and space. Tanzania’s open plains let them scan for gazelle, stalk using every fold in the ground, then unleash a short high-speed pursuit. Unlike lions and leopards, they avoid prolonged conflict and may surrender a kill to stronger competitors.
The Serengeti–Ndutu landscape is one of the best places to study females with cubs and male coalitions in natural hunting habitat.
Life in the wild
Behavior & relationships
Behavior
Mostly hunts in daylight, particularly morning and late afternoon. Uses raised ground, termite mounds and vehicles as vantage points.
Social life
Females are usually solitary except with cubs. Brothers often remain together in coalitions that defend territories and improve hunting success.
What makes it remarkable
Special features
Fastest land animal over a short sprint. Semi-nonretractile claws provide grip, while the long tail works as a counterbalance in sharp turns.
