Cheetahs are very popular animals; from their amazing speed to their adorable face, what’s not to love? Here, we take a look at these magnificent animals to help you learn all about them.
Are cheetahs friendly? Cheetahs are not a threat to humans, and compared to other wild big cats are pretty docile and calm. But with that being said, cheetahs are still wild animals, and therefore should never be touched by people. This is both for the safety of the person and the cheetah.
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Are cheetahs the friendliest big cat?
The term “big cats” covers the members of the pantherinae and felinae families. Big cats include cheetahs, cougars, lynx, lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards, and snow leopards. Out of these big cats, cheetahs are the friendliest towards humans. Cheetahs, as well as cougars and lynx, are members of the felinae family and they are more closely related to domesticated house cats.
Of the other cats (which are all members of the pantherinae family), the lion is the most friendly. Lions are pride animals, so unlike tigers, leopards, and jaguars, they are social animals who like the company of others. They will also be more tolerant of the human company than other big cats.
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Do cheetahs get along with other cheetahs?
Cheetahs are not overly social cats. Female cheetahs live by themselves. Females will only socialize when they mate, but then they go back to living in solitary and they will raise their cubs by themselves. Male cheetahs will live in a group called a coalition, which is made up of their other male siblings.
When a litter of cheetah cubs is born, they are born with spots on their neck and shoulders, which disappear as they get older. A litter is usually made up of three to five cheetah cubs. Mother cheetahs will stay with her offspring for about the first 18 months of their lives.
During this time, the cubs will learn to hunt and how to avoid predators. After the cubs are separated from their mother, the cubs will live together for another 6 to 8 months, and then the female cubs will go off on their own, while the males will stick together.
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Do cheetahs get along with other animals?
In the wild, cheetahs do not associate with any other animals. Cheetahs are pretty shy and will avoid other members of the animal kingdom. Even if they just sense the presence of a lion or a hyena, the cheetah will likely leave the area and stop hunting.
Even though cheetahs do not spend time with other animals in the wild, cheetahs living in captivity is another story. Zoos often match cheetahs and puppies together. This is because cheetahs are so reclusive and they will thrive more in zoos when paired with a companion animal.
Can cheetahs be pets?
Since cheetahs are related to domesticated cats, and they are the friendliest wild cat, you may be wondering if they can be pets. Cheetahs have been kept for many, many years as pets, as a symbol of wealth. It is against the law to have a pet cheetah in the United States, but in other parts of the world, such as the United Arab Emirates, you can own a cheetah as a pet.
In countries where cheetahs can be kept as pets, cheetahs can be trained from a young age (during their formative months) in a similar manner to training any other pet. Cheetahs can even be trained to play fetch like a dog.
Even though cheetahs can be trained and kept as pets that does not necessarily mean it is a good idea. They have very specific needs, such as needing to regularly run and eat irregularly, that make them a difficult pet. And a cheetah will never be fully domesticated like a pet cat that you rescue from the shelter.
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How fast can cheetahs run?
You probably know that cheetahs are the fastest land animals in the world, but how fast can they run exactly? Cheetahs can reach speeds up to 75 miles per hour. But even though they can run this fast, their average speed is around 40 miles per hour and then they will add in short bursts of extra speed.
Cheetahs also have a very high acceleration. They can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in only three seconds!