The Cheetah, a hunting leopard, is big cat that occurs in mainly in North and Eastern Africa as well as parts of the Middle East, particularly Iran. Whilst most big cats are described as well... big, Cheetahs are lightly built which aides in its fast speeds which clock up to 93-116 km/ph! They are characterised by their slender body, deep chest, thing long legs and tail, spotted coats and small rounded head with black tear like streaks on its face. It uses its tail as a rudder to change direction quickly while running.
Mother Cheetah and her cubs
What do Cheetahs eat?
Cheetahs are carnivores. They feast on gazelles, wildebeest calves, impalas and small hooved animals which are readily available in their habitat. They have evolved with extremely incredible eyesight which help them seek prey all while being camouflaged by blending into the tall grassy landscape.
Two cheetahs taking down prey
Where are they found?
Typically found in North and Eastern Africa and the Middle East
Map showing range of cheetahs including its current and former range
Subspecies
There are 5 subspecies of the cheetah
Asiatic Cheetah (Acinonyx Jubatus Venaticus)- Also called the Iranian or Indian Cheetah. Found in the Middle East.
Northwest African Cheetah (Acinonyx Jubatus Hecki)- Also called the Saharan Cheetah. Found in Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger
South African Cheetah (Acinonyx Jubatus Jubatus)- Also called the Namibian Cheetah. Found in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Zambia
Central African Cheetah (Acinonyx Jubatus Seommeringii)- Also called the Sudan Cheetah. Found in central and northeastern regions and in the Horn of Africa.
East African Cheetah (Acinonyx Jubatus Raineyii)- Also called the Tanzanian Cheetah. Found in Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda.
Map showing the current and former range of the subspecies of the Cheetah
How do they move?
The following is a video which talks about the cheetah and its movements and speed
Video courtesy National Geographic
Cheetah on the move: Note its tail
Conservation Status
In 1900, there was an estimated 100,000 cheetahs in the world, Today, there are between 9000-12000 cheetahs, remaining in the World. Due to human activity such as habitat encroachment, which is an invasion of their home, decreases the size of their home and the other animals that live there which serve as their food. This reduces the number of prey available which is another factor leading to their extinction.
Their current conservation status on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is listed as Vulnerable. This indicates that they are at a high risk of extinction in the wild.
However, conservationists are working to prevent habitat loss and are educating farmers about proper ways to help decrease fatal attacks on cheetahs.
In this blog, we will be looking at the types of big cats for General Science. Students will be taught about some of the types of big cats that live in the wild, as well as, using technology in order to create posters, a table of comparison of the the cats and an e-journal. Below is an introduction to some of the big cats we will be looking at:
Please use the sitemap to be redirected to the appropriate section of the course.
Course Sitemap:
Lions
Cheetahs
Tigers
Jaguars
Poster
Table
E-journal
Authors: Avinash Sahadeo Kristine Ali Sarah Mohammed Vanessa Rajkumar
The lion is one of the big cats in the genus Panthera and a member of the family Felidae. The commonly used term African lion collectively denotes the several subspecies in Africa.They are also the second leading largest cat in the world
Lions live in grasslands, scrubs and and open woodlands of Saharan Africa.
A small population of Asian lions exists in India's Gir Forest. Asian lions and African lions are subspecies of the same species. Asian lions once prowled from the Middle East to India.
Location where lions live
Lions and Prides
Lions are sociable animals that live in groups calledPrides.Prides are family units that usually have three males and multiple females and cubs.
Reason they form prides are the fusion of
subgroups of lions.
Females defend pride
territory, males defend females
from other males.
No recruitment of outside
females, all highly related and grow
up in pride.
Young males forced to leave the pride at about three years old.
Pride
Lions and Hunting?
Lions hunt with the pride especially for bigger preys.They use the sneak attack approach on victims .As well as corner the prey when hunting with pride.
Lions and fights
Lions usually fight when they see or feel a thread from other males or outsiders.They use their mane as protective shields.
Lion’s are known as king of the jungle, but they really don’t live in jungles.
A male lion is called a lion.
A female lion is called a lioness.
A baby lion is called a cub.
A male lion has a mane and a female does not.
A males mane will begin to grow at 18 months and will continue to grow until they are 5.
A male lion can weigh between 400-500 pounds and sometimes more.
A female lion can weigh 290-350 pounds.
Lions deer and other herd animals.
The female lions are the hunters. They usually hunt at dusk or at night.
The female lion will bring the food back to the pride. The male will eat first than the females and last the cubs.
A lion can runs at speeds up to 50 miles per hour but not for long distances.
When a lion walks their heels do not touch the ground.
Unlike other cats lions are great swimmers.
A lion’s roar can be heard as far as 5 miles away!
Lions rest for up to 20 hours a day.
Remember Simba from Disney’s Lion King? Did you know that the Swahili (a language in Africa)word for Lion is Simba!
A mother lion gives give to 1-4 cubs every 2 years.
Sunday, 16 October 2016
TIGERS (Panthera tigris)
What is a tiger?
A tiger is a very large solitary cat with a yellow-brown coat striped with black, native to the forests of Asia. The scientific name for a tiger is Panthera Tigris. Tigers are the largest member of the felid (cat) family. Tigers belong to the animal kingdom phylum krodata (has a spinal cord), subphylum vertebrates(vertebrates), class of mammals (warm-blooded, furry with mammary glands). They are meat eaters (carnivores). They belong to the family Felidae (cat), their genus is Panthera and their species Tigris (tiger)
The ten largest cats in the felid (cat) family.
1. Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris)
How big are they? : They are 423kg, 931 pounds or 58.2 bowling balls
Where we live: Northeastern China, Korea, Russia, parts of India and around the Himalayas
Tigers usually sport long, thick reddish coats with white bellies and white and black tails. Their heads, bodies, tails and limbs have narrow black, brown or gray stripes.
The different species of tigers.
There are nine different species of tigers these are:
Bengal Tigers
Siberian Tigers
Indo-Chinese Tigers
South Chinese Tigers
Sumatran Tigers
Malayan Tigers
Caspian Tigers
Javan Tiger
Bali Tiger
The reason of extinction for some of the subspecies of tigers.
There were once nine subspecies due to over-hunting, poaching and a loss of habitat have resulted in the extinction of three of these species.
The Bali Tiger reached extinction due to hunting. There was not an enormous population, as people populated the island, they hunted the tiger in order to sell their pelts and organs, as well as to protect themselves from these hunters.When the Russians started to colonize Turkey during the late-1800’s, they began to hunt the Caspian Tiger with a vengeance. In addition, they hunted the natural prey of these predators, causing many to die from starvation. It is believed that the last Caspian Tiger was killed in the 1990’s. However, due to a lack of interest, this was never explored or confirmed. The Panthera tigris died out in the 1970’s. These tigers were found exclusively on the island of Java. These tigers began to be protected in 1947, but it was too late to save the Java Tiger from succumbing to extinction. They were poisoned by locals wanting to protect themselves and hunted for reward or financial gain. They also died as a result of their prey being killed to the point of extinction.
The following is a video of the extinct subspecies.
What do tigers eat?
Tigers mainly eat Ambar deer, wild pigs, water buffalo and antelope. Tigers are also known to hunt sloth bears, dogs, leopards, crocodiles, and pythons as well as monkeys and hares. Old and injured tigers have been known to attack humans and domestic cattle.
How do tigers behave? Tigers occupy a variety of habitats from tropical forest, evergreen forests, woodlands and mangrove swamps to grasslands, savana, and rocky country. They are mostly nocturnal (more active at night) and are ambush predators that rely on the camouflage their stripes provide. Tigers use their body weight to knock prey to the ground and kill with a bite to the neck. They are also very good swimmers and have been known to kill prey while swimming.
How do tigers communicate?
Do we have tigers in Trinidad?
Tigers are not native to our island but at the Emperor Vally Zoo in Trinidad and Tobago, there are three Bengal tiger's Rani, Raja, and Shere Khan.
