Cheetah: the most ineffective African predator (7 photos)

As you know, the cheetah is an incredibly fast animal. However, there is one problem - it cannot maintain high speed for long.





A slipper to the floor, a pillar of dust and admiring glances of spectators - it seems that fame was what the cheetah wanted to achieve when moving up the evolutionary tree. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain why such a lightning-fast predator trails behind when it comes to successful hunting!

Show-offs turned out to be more important to the cheetah than efficiency. Like the most expensive sports cars, the cat accelerates from zero to one hundred in three seconds. But unlike cars, it cannot maintain such a speed for long. The dash for a potential meal is never longer than 400-500 meters. If it fails to catch up with the victim right away, the spotted one gives up the senseless pursuit.



Oh, how simple everything would be if antelopes and wild boars ran in a straight line. But here's the problem: they figured out how to wag in all directions and spin such pirouettes that in 3 out of 4 attempts the cheetah turns out to be not only hungry, but also tired!





It seems that even the antelope itself was not ready for such a turn...

In order not to die of hunger, the predator had to learn to brake as quickly as it took off. It is much easier to turn 180 degrees if you are not rushing at full speed. For this, it was necessary to tune the hind legs and back. Their steel muscles account for half the weight of the skinny cat! For greater traction, it was necessary to sacrifice the ability to retract the claws. All these features allowed the cheetah to become not only the fastest runner, but also the fastest brake.



— Let's get out of here already, take me to a place where there is Whiskas every day.

In addition to physical pumping, the cheetah also received intellectual. The predator learned to adapt to each prey. It is better to slow down on turns behind a nimble impala antelope, and to cut off an awkward and slow wildebeest in an arc. And it is worth catching a warthog before it uses its sharp fangs.



It would seem that after catching the prey, all the difficulties for the animal are behind, but then injustice and the law of the strong come into play. You see, a cheetah weighs up to 60 kg and rarely grows taller than 70 cm. The main muscle mass is in the legs. It does not have powerful jaws. Sharp claws - too, because they work as brakes. It simply has nothing to scare off a potential enemy! Hyenas, lions, leopards can easily drive a cheetah away from its prey!



Getting into a fight with rivals is not an option for a cheetah, even if the opponent is equal in weight and strength. Any injury for a cheetah = guaranteed death. Apart from its mind-blowing speed, the predator has no other weapon!



Even a brown hyena, which is smaller than a cheetah, tries to covet its prey.

The fastest cat has no choice but to run away with the same lightning speed with which he ran after food. And then sadly watch as someone else enjoys his dinner. Perhaps, because of the unfairness of life, the cheetah has two black spots "flowing" from his eyes. Or maybe because of the realization that it was worth investing at least a couple of points in strength, and not in speed.