Cheetah

A supple spine, long limbs, protruding claws and ridges on its footpads aid the cheetah in achieving a top speed of up to 115km/h. It can keep this up for all of 20 seconds and no more than 400m, so it approaches to within 30m of its quarry before its final attack. When it gets within striking distance, it trips its prey over with a sideways stroke of its forepaw or brings it down from the rear using its dewclaw (extra sharp claw on the inside of the foreleg).

A cheetah mum makes chirruping calls to signal to her cubs to join her in feeding on a fresh kill. She may also call for them with a throaty purr if they have wandered off from their den. Her young respond with chirps. Cheetah mums shift dens every few days to prevent the build-up of their scent, which may attract predation from lions or hyenas.

If separated, members of a male coalition may also “yipp” and “churr” for up to 20 minutes at a go, till they’re reunited.

Cheetahs have disappeared across most of their Asian range due to live capture. Captured cheetahs were tamed and trained to hunt deer and gazelle as sport for royalty. The depletion of wild prey and habitat fragmentation have also contributed to their demise. The Asiatic cheetah is now Critically Endangered, with only about 80 left in Iran. An active pet trade market remains in the Gulf States and live cheetah cubs are being smuggled out of Africa to meet this demand.