Speed and Grace of the Cheetah

All children are sure to know about the cheetah. You would know that fastest land animal on Earth with the ability to run at speeds of 112 to 120 km/h (70 to 75 mph), accelerating from 0 to over 100 km/h (62 mph) in just three seconds. The speed and grace of this member of cat family have astonished humans and the sight of a stop us in our tracks.

                             Scientists think that about 10,000-12,000 years ago, at least 99 percent of the world king cheetah population may have died within a short period, resulting in the population getting as low as one pregnant female. The main difference between the king cheetah and the normal spotted cheetah is in the cat pattern. The standard cheetah’s fur coat is usually yellow, tawny or golden in color with a circular spotted pattern of small black markings, 0.75 to 1.5 inches in diameter, distributed fairly evenly across its body. The animal also displays the famous black ‘tear streaks’ down either cheek.

                                                                        The king cheetah whose coat is pale cream to yellow has a distinctive patten of spots that run together to form several (usually three) thick lack stripes down its back, from the crest of its neck to the top of the tail. 

     They also sport dark patch shaped markings (splotches), irregular in size and shape along their sides and flanks. Their underside is generally white. The tear tracks on the face are present in the king cheetah as well.

                                  The reason for this difference was discovered recently to be a mutation of the gene which causes the spots in cheetahs. The same gene, it was found, produces the striking dark strips on tabby cats and its mutation causes the stripes in cats and spots on cheetahs to become blotchy. King cheetahs are the result of two parents with the same recessive gene coming together (a reason for its rarity) and may occur side by side with normally colored litter mates.

                                            However, they have the same genetic makeup as the common cheetah with little genetic diversification and problems inherent from inbreeding. The king cheetah, measuring 1.1-1.4 metres in length, 66-85 cm in height up to the shoulders and weighing 40-65kg, is slightly larger than the common cheetah.

                      Other rare color morphs (gradual transformation) of the species include speckles, melanism, albinism and grey coloration. Most have been reported in Indian cheetahs, particularly in captive specimens kept for hunting. The king cheetah is found in Zimbabwe, Botswana and in the northern parts of South Africa’s Transvaal province. Their natural habitat comprise savannah and open areas such as plains, wooded areas and grasslands. While cheetahs prefer to chase their prey on the open plains, king cheetahs can be found in forests, stalking their meal which is mostly medium and large-sized mammals. Cheetahs hunt during the day, while king cheetahs hunt mostly at night. Since splotches are better camouflage for partially lit environment, the coats of the latter are better suited to shady forests.