Chasing Cheetah

The Masai Mara is a predator haven few places can rival. The other night we headed off to walk the dogs on a private airstrip only to discover the area to be occupied by a female cheetah and her three tiny cubs. The clever mother had killed a rather large Grant ’s gazelle as supper for her brood and was blissfully oblivious to the fact that two eager hounds were now not going to get their evening walk.

We were delighted. The Olare Orok Conservancy is testament to the fact that there are solutions to Africa (and specifically Kenya’s) wildlife-human challenges. The area is community owned land that abuts the Masai Mara National Reserve and as a result of an official agreement between the community and various tourism partners, the Masai people have moved their settlements and livestock off the land to accommodate for unspoilt wildlife and eco-tourism and each family reaps a direct monthly monetary reward in return. Although land ownership is new (and somewhat foreign) for the Masai, this arrangement is suiting both parties well and the conservation of wildlife is the direct result and overtly obvious. The Olare Orok Conservancy is a paradise teaming with game. See www.oocmara.com to learn more.

Cheetah are predators specialized for speed. Clocking a record speed of 112 kmph, they are undoubtedly the fastest land mammals. Generally cheetah only accelerate up to between 75-100kmph at a full sprint and this lasts only a few hundred meters before they tire. In order to be successful, cheetah must get close enough to their quarry before embarking on the final sprint and are thus accomplished stalkers. They hunt in open areas making use of any available cover to stalk or they may simply walk directly towards the prey freezing immediately should the animal raise its head. Cheetah will try to get within 100m of their target before chasing it and they typically choose animals isolated on the skirt of a herd. Once the chase is underway, cheetah will pursue the animal for a short time only and its marvellous sprinting ability must enable it to gain on the prey almost immediately in order to trip it up with a paw and then secure a throat grip (thus depriving the prey of already depleted oxygen reserves) or else the cheetah will abandon the chase.

Once a kill is made, the cheetah is too exhausted to feed immediately and rests to catch its breath first. Prey is eaten where it falls or dragged to nearby shade if possible. Cheetah are picky eaters skimming meat neatly off the surface of a carcass. They may eat the heart and liver but the other innards are discarded. Bones and skin are also discarded due to their toughness and the cheetah’s diminished dentition and small jaws. They only scavenge occasionally and usually when displacing another predator is not required. Although cheetahs are relatively large in size, they generally do not attack large ungulates (hoofed animals) like wildebeest, zebra or buffalo. This is due to the fact that pulling these powerful animals down requires great strength which the cheetah lacks and in the process would risk injury to itself. Coalitions of males may cooperate to pull down larger prey but usually they target younger animals of these species.

Because cheetah are so over-specialized for speed they are almost totally defenseless against larger predators like lion, leopard, hyena and even vultures. As a result they are very susceptible to loosing kills to larger predators. To avoid the attentions of largely nocturnal carnivores, cheetah hunt during the day (diurnal predators). However, all predators are opportunistic and should they become aware of a kill, they will scavenge regardless of the time of day.

Cheetah specialization includes the following: They have long legs, long, flexible spines and wasp-like waists that in combination effect the long strides necessary to run quickly. The chest of the cheetah is deep set to accommodate its large lungs and heart, the internal powerhouse of the sprinter. The tail is long and acts as a rudder to counter-balance the cheetah when it has to change direction quickly. The head is small and stream-lined with only small ears. The teeth are smaller than other similar sized predators as these make the skull heavy. The reduced dentition also makes room for bigger nasal cavities to improve oxygen intake while in full sprint and to facilitate breathing when suffocating captured prey. Cheetah also have aerodynamic nostrils to maximize the flow of air over them while running. Although it is commonly thought that cheetah can’t ‘retract’ their claws at all, they do in fact have semi-retractable claws but these are unsheathed and so appear to be permanently protruding. This is an adaptation to assist with traction during chases. Pads on the underside of the feet are hard and often ridged which also assists with traction and improves their braking ability.

Cheetah are considered attentive mothers and cubs, which are born in tall grass or other cleverly hidden sites after just three months gestation, will regularly be moved to remain undetected and free of parasite infestations. The female painstakingly moves her cubs one at a time pinching them by the scruff of the neck which relaxes the nerves in that area and calms the cubs as they travel. The female brings meat back to her litter when they are still as young as five weeks old and in just three months the cubs are completely weaned and by eight months old will begin to hunt and make their own kills.

Young cheetah cubs (up to three months old) have a mantle of grey fur along the saddle of their backs which at quick glance resembles the colouration of the formidable honey badger. This mimicry is believed to deter larger predators from attacking the defenceless cubs as they are mistaken by predators for the more ferocious and generally avoided badger.