Editing Cheetah (section)

==Ecology and behaviour==
Cheetahs are active mainly during the day,<ref name=Estes/> whereas other carnivores such as leopards and lions are active mainly at night;<ref name=hilde/><ref name=Schaller1972>{{Cite book |last=Schaller |first=G. B. |author-link = George Schaller |year=1972 |title=The Serengeti Lion: A Study of Predator-Prey Relations |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |pages=380–408 |chapter=The dynamics of predation |chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7ann2dYn9iYC&pg=PA380 |isbn=978-0-226-73639-6 |access-date = 4 January 2020 |archive-date = 28 March 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230328014413/https://books.google.com/books?id=7ann2dYn9iYC&pg=PA380 |url-status = live}}</ref> These larger carnivores can kill cheetahs and [[Kleptoparasitism|steal]] their kills;<ref name=wcw/> hence, the [[Diurnality|diurnal]] tendency of cheetahs helps them avoid larger predators in areas where they are [[sympatry|sympatric]], such as the [[Okavango Delta]]. In areas where the cheetah is the major predator (such as farmlands in Botswana and Namibia), activity tends to increase at night. This may also happen in highly arid regions such as the Sahara, where daytime temperatures can reach {{convert|43|°C|°F|abbr=on}}. The [[lunar cycle]] can also influence the cheetah's routine—activity might increase on moonlit nights as prey can be sighted easily, though this comes with the danger of encountering larger predators.<ref name=wcw/><ref name=marker8/> Hunting is the major activity throughout the day, with peaks during dawn and dusk.<ref name=hunterwcw/> Groups rest in grassy clearings after dusk. Cheetahs often inspect their vicinity at observation points such as elevations to check for prey or larger carnivores; even while resting, they take turns at keeping a lookout.<ref name=wcw/>

===Social organisation===
{{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical
 |image1=Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) female 2 cubs.jpg |caption1=Female with her cubs in [[Phinda Private Game Reserve]] |alt1=A female cheetah sitting with her cubs
 |image2=Male Cheetahs, Maasai Mara (43941746162).jpg |caption2=A group of males in [[Maasai Mara]] |alt2=A group of male cheetahs
}}

Cheetahs have a flexible and complex [[Sociality|social structure]] and tend to be more gregarious than several other cats (except the lion). Individuals typically avoid one another but are generally amicable; males may fight over [[Territory (animal)|territories]] or access to females in [[oestrus]], and on rare occasions such fights can result in severe injury and death. Females are not social and have minimal interaction with other individuals, barring the interaction with males when they enter their territories or during the mating season. Some females, generally mother and offspring or siblings, may rest beside one another during the day. Females tend to lead a solitary life or live with offspring in undefended [[home range]]s; young females often stay close to their mothers for life but young males leave their mother's range to live elsewhere.<ref name=wcw/><ref name=nowak/><ref name=hunterwcw/>

Some males are territorial, and group together for life, forming coalitions that collectively defend a territory which ensures maximum access to females—this is unlike the behaviour of the male lion who mates with a particular group (pride) of females. In most cases, a coalition will consist of brothers born in the same litter who stayed together after weaning, but biologically unrelated males are often allowed into the group; in the Serengeti, 30% of members in coalitions are unrelated males.<ref name=hunterwcw/> If a cub is the only male in a litter, he will typically join an existing group, or form a small group of solitary males with two or three other lone males who may or may not be territorial. In the [[Kalahari Desert]] around 40% of the males live in solitude.<ref name=nowak/><ref name = hunterwcw/>

Males in a coalition are affectionate toward each other, [[social grooming|grooming mutually]] and calling out if any member is lost; unrelated males may face some aversion in their initial days in the group. All males in the coalition typically have equal access to kills when the group hunts together, and possibly also to females who may enter their territory.<ref name=marker9>{{cite book |editor1=Marker, L. |editor2=Boast, L. K. |editor3=Schmidt-Kuentzel, A. |title=Cheetahs: Biology and Conservation |date=2018 |publisher=Academic Press |location=London |isbn=978-0-12-804088-1|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H3rXDgAAQBAJ&pg=121 |chapter=A brief history of cheetah conservation |last1=Wachter |first1=B. |last2=Broekhuis |first2=F. |last3=Melzheimer |first3=J. |last4=Horgan |first4=J. |last5=Chelysheva |first5=E. V. |last6=Marker |first6=L. |last7=Mills |first7=G. |last8=Caro |first8=T. |name-list-style=amp |pages=121–136 |access-date=24 April 2020 |archive-date=3 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803022046/https://books.google.com/books?id=H3rXDgAAQBAJ&pg=121 |url-status=live}}</ref> A coalition generally has a greater chance of encountering and acquiring females for mating; however, its large membership demands greater resources than do solitary males.<ref name=nowak/><ref name=hunterwcw/> A 1987 study showed that solitary and grouped males have a nearly equal chance of coming across females, but the males in coalitions are notably healthier and have better chances of survival than their solitary counterparts.<ref name=caro1987>{{cite journal |last1=Caro |first1=T. M. |last2=Collins |first2=D. A. |title=Male cheetah social organization and territoriality |journal=[[Ethology (journal)|Ethology]] |year=1987 |volume=74 |issue=1 |pages=52–64 |doi=10.1111/j.1439-0310.1987.tb00921.x |bibcode=1987Ethol..74...52C |name-list-style=amp}}</ref>

Male cheetahs seem to be more tolerant to cubs that are not their offspring than other felids, and supposed evidence of infanticide is considered circumstantial.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hunter |first=L. T. B. |last2=and Skinner |first2=J. D. |date=2003 |title=Do male cheetahs ''Acinonyx jubatus'' commit infanticide? |journal=Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa |volume=58 |issue=1 |pages=79–82 |doi=10.1080/00359190309519937 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233274087_Do_male_cheetahs_Acinonyx_jubatus_commit_infanticide}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |editor-last=Hausfater |editor-first=G. |editor-last2=Hrdy |editor-first2=S. B. |title=Infanticide: Comparative and Evolutionary Perspectives |date=2017 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-351-51261-9 |last=Packer |first=C. |last2=Pusey |first2=A. E. |pages=68–74 |chapter=Infanticide in carnivores |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cR4uDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PA1&pg=PT63#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref>

===Home ranges and territories===
Unlike many other felids, among cheetahs, females tend to occupy larger areas compared to males.<ref name=nowak/> Females typically disperse over large areas in pursuit of prey, but they are less nomadic and roam in a smaller area if prey availability in the area is high. As such, the size of their home range depends on the distribution of prey in a region. In central Namibia, where most prey species are sparsely distributed, home ranges average {{cvt|554|–|7063|sqkm}}, whereas in the woodlands of the [[Phinda Game Reserve]] (South Africa), which have plentiful prey, home ranges are {{cvt|34|–|157|sqkm}} in size.<ref name=hunterwcw/> Cheetahs can travel long stretches overland in search of food; a study in the Kalahari Desert recorded an average displacement of nearly {{cvt|11|km}} every day and walking speeds ranged between {{cvt|2.5|and|3.8|km/h}}.<ref name=marker8/>

Males are generally less nomadic than females; often males in coalitions (and sometimes solitary males staying far from coalitions) establish territories.<ref name=wcw/><ref name=nowak/> Whether males settle in territories or disperse over large areas forming home ranges depends primarily on the movements of females. Territoriality is preferred only if females tend to be more sedentary, which is more feasible in areas with plenty of prey. Some males, called floaters, switch between territoriality and nomadism depending on the availability of females.<ref name=hunterwcw/> A 1987 study showed territoriality depended on the size and age of males and the membership of the coalition.<ref name="caro1987"/> The ranges of floaters averaged {{cvt|777|sqkm}} in the Serengeti to {{cvt|1464|sqkm}} in central Namibia. In the [[Kruger National Park]] (South Africa) territories were much smaller. A coalition of three males occupied a territory measuring {{cvt|126|sqkm}}, and the territory of a solitary male measured {{cvt|195|sqkm}}.<ref name=hunterwcw/> When a female enters a territory, the males will surround her; if she tries to escape, the males will bite or snap at her. Generally, the female can not escape on her own; the males themselves leave after they lose interest in her. They may smell the spot she was sitting or lying on to determine if she was in oestrus.<ref name=marker9/>

===Communication===
[[File:Acoustic-Structure-and-Contextual-Use-of-Calls-by-Captive-Male-and-Female-Cheetahs-(Acinonyx-pone.0158546.s001.oga|thumbnail|Calls of cheetahs: purr, hiss, growl, churr, meow, chirp, howl|alt=Recording of some vocalisations of cheetahs]]
{{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical
 |image1=Acinonyx jubatus -Southern Namibia-8.jpg |caption1=Male [[scent marking|marking his territory]] |alt1=A male cheetah standing with tail raised and marking a tree trunk with its urine
 |image2=Cheetah Brothers AdF.jpg |caption2=Cheetahs grooming each other |alt2=Two cheetahs licking each other
 |image3=Cheetah with cubs (7513556524).jpg|caption3=Mother signalling her cubs by her tail to follow her|alt3=A mother cheetah using her tail to signal her cubs to follow her
}}

The cheetah is a vocal felid with a broad repertoire of calls and sounds; the [[acoustics|acoustic]] features and the use of many of these have been studied in detail.<ref name="volodina">{{cite journal |last1=Volodina |first1=E. V. |title=Vocal repertoire of the cheetah ''Acinonyx jubatus'' (Carnivora, Felidae) in captivity: sound structure and their potential for estimating the state of adult animals |journal=[[Zoologicheskii Zhurnal]] |year=2000 |volume=79 |issue=7 |pages=833–843 |url=http://www.bioacoustica.org/publ/papers/305_Volodina_2000_ZJ_eng.pdf |access-date=14 March 2016 |archive-date=9 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309034930/http://www.bioacoustica.org/publ/papers/305_Volodina_2000_ZJ_eng.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The vocal characteristics, such as the way they are produced, are often different from those of other cats.<ref name="sh2003">{{cite journal |last1=Stoeger-Horwath |first1=A. S. |last2=Schwammer |first2=H. M. |name-list-style=amp |title=Vocalizations of juvenile cheetahs during feeding at Schoenbrunn Zoo |journal=International Zoo News |date=2003 |volume=50 |issue=8 |pages=468–474 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/239526486 |via=ResearchGate |access-date=21 April 2020 |archive-date=5 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240505152138/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/239526486_Vocalizations_of_Juvenile_Cheetahs_during_Feeding_at_Schoenbrunn_Zoo |url-status=live}}</ref> For instance, a study showed that exhalation is louder than inhalation in cheetahs, while no such distinction was observed in the [[domestic cat]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=Eklund, R. |author2=Peters, G. |author3=Duthie, E. D. |chapter=An acoustic analysis of purring in the cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') and in the domestic cat (''Felis catus'') |title=Proceedings from FONETIK 2010, Lund, June 2–4, 2010 |editor=Schötz, S. |editor2=Ambrazaitis, G. |publisher=Department of Linguistics and Phonetics, Lund University |oclc=666315644 |year=2010 |pages=17–22 |chapter-url=http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:539494/FULLTEXT01.pdf |name-list-style=amp |access-date=17 May 2016 |archive-date=22 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822004538/http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:539494/FULLTEXT01.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Eklund_al2012>{{cite book |last1=Eklund |first1=R. |author2=Peters, G. |author3=Weise, F. |author4=Munro, S. |chapter=A comparative acoustic analysis of purring in four cheetahs |title=Proceedings from FONETIK 2012 |editor=Abelin, Å. |editor2=Eriksson, A. |isbn=978-91-637-0985-2 |publisher=[[University of Gothenburg]] |location=Gothenburg |year=2012 |pages=41–44 |chapter-url=http://www.ida.liu.se/~robek28/pdf/Eklund_et_al_2012_Cheetah_Purring.pdf |name-list-style=amp |access-date=14 March 2024 |archive-date=20 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420185335/https://www.ida.liu.se/~robek28/pdf/Eklund_et_al_2012_Cheetah_Purring.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Listed below are some commonly recorded vocalisations observed in cheetahs:

* Chirping: A chirp (or a "stutter-bark") is an intense bird-like call and lasts less than a second. Cheetahs chirp when they are excited, for instance, when gathered around a kill. Other uses include summoning concealed or lost cubs by the mother, or as a greeting or courtship between adults.<ref name=sh2003/> The cheetah's chirp is similar to the soft roar of the lion, and its churr as the latter's loud roar.<ref name=volodina/> A similar but louder call ('yelp') can be heard from up to {{convert|2|km|mi|abbr=on}} away; this call is typically used by mothers to locate lost cubs, or by cubs to find their mothers and siblings.<ref name=wcw/><ref name="kingdon">{{cite book |last1=Kingdon |first1=J. |author-link=Jonathan Kingdon |title=The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals |chapter=Cheetah ''Acinonyx jubatus'' |year=2015 |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]] |location=London |isbn=978-1-4729-1236-7 |pages=403–404 |edition=2nd |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gcrBDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT975 |access-date=20 December 2019 |archive-date=28 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328013820/https://books.google.com/books?id=gcrBDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT975 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* Churring (or churtling): A churr is a shrill, staccato call that can last up to two seconds. Churring and chirping have been noted for their similarity to the soft and loud roars of the lion. It is produced in similar context as chirping, but a study of feeding cheetahs found chirping to be much more common.<ref name=Estes/><ref name=sh2003/>
* Purring: Similar to purring in domestic cats but much louder, it is produced when the cheetah is content, and as a form of greeting or when licking one another.<ref name=wcw/><ref name=sh2003/> It involves continuous sound production alternating between [[Egressive sound|egressive]] and [[Ingressive sound|ingressive]] airstreams.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Eklund |first1=R. |last2=Peters |first2=G. |chapter-url=http://www.ida.liu.se/~robek28/pdf/Eklund_Peters_2013_Cheetah_Purring.pdf |chapter=A comparative acoustic analysis of purring in juvenile, subadult and adult cheetahs |title=Proceedings of FONETIK 2013 12–13 June 2013 |year=2013 |pages=25–28 |editor=Eklund, A. |publisher=Department of Culture and Communication, Linköping University |location=Linköping |isbn=9789175195797 |name-list-style=amp |access-date=14 March 2024 |archive-date=13 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240413024608/https://www.ida.liu.se/~robek28/pdf/Eklund_Peters_2013_Cheetah_Purring.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>
* Agonistic sounds: These include bleating, coughing, growling, hissing, meowing and moaning (or yowling). A bleat indicates distress, for instance when a cheetah confronts a predator that has stolen its kill. Growls, hisses and moans are accompanied by multiple, strong hits on the ground with the front paw, during which the cheetah may retreat by a few metres.<ref name=volodina/><ref name=sh2003/><ref name=bare_url>{{cite book |last1=Eklund |first1=R. |author2=Peters, G. |author3=Weise, F. |author4=Munro, S. |chapter=An acoustic analysis of agonistic sounds in wild cheetahs |title=Proceedings from FONETIK 2012 |editor=Abelin, Å. |editor2=Eriksson, A. |isbn=978-91-637-0985-2 |publisher=University of Gothenburg |location=Gothenburg |year=2012 |pages=37–40 |chapter-url=http://www.ida.liu.se/~robek28/pdf/Eklund_et_al_2012_Cheetah_AgonisticVocalizations.pdf |name-list-style=amp |access-date=26 November 2015 |archive-date=8 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208014616/http://www.ida.liu.se/~robek28/pdf/Eklund_et_al_2012_Cheetah_AgonisticVocalizations.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> A meow, though a versatile call, is typically associated with discomfort or irritation.<ref name=volodina/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Smirnova |first1=D. S. |last2=Volodin |first2=I. A. |last3=Demina |first3=T. S. |last4=Volodina |first4=E. V. |last5=Pavan |first5=G. |title=Acoustic structure and contextual use of calls by captive male and female cheetahs (''Acinonyx jubatus'') |journal=PLOS ONE |date=2016 |volume=11 |issue=6 |pages=e0158546 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0158546 |pmc=4928801 |pmid=27362643 |bibcode=2016PLoSO..1158546S |name-list-style=amp|doi-access=free}}</ref>
* Other vocalisations: Individuals can make a gurgling noise as part of a close, amicable interaction.<ref name=wcw/> A "nyam nyam" sound may be produced while eating. Apart from chirping, mothers can use a repeated "ihn ihn" is to gather cubs, and a "prr prr" is to guide them on a journey. A low-pitched alarm call is used to warn the cubs to stand still. Bickering cubs can let out a "whirr"—the pitch rises with the intensity of the quarrel and ends on a harsh note.<ref name=Estes/><ref name=sh2003/>

Another major means of communication is by [[olfactory communication|scent]]—the male will often raise his tail and [[scent marking|spray urine]] on elevated landmarks such as a tree trunks, stumps or rocks; other cheetahs will sniff these landmarks and repeat the ritual. Females may also show marking behaviour but less prominently than males do. Females in oestrus will show maximum urine-marking, and their excrement can attract males from far off. In Botswana, cheetahs are frequently captured by ranchers to protect livestock by setting up traps in traditional marking spots; the calls of the trapped cheetah can attract more cheetahs to the place.<ref name=Estes/><ref name=nowak/>

Touch and visual cues are other ways of signalling in cheetahs. Social meetings involve mutual sniffing of the mouth, anus and genitals. Individuals will groom one another, lick each other's faces and rub cheeks. However, they seldom lean on or rub their flanks against each other. The tear streaks on the face can sharply define expressions at close range. Mothers probably use the alternate light and dark rings on the tail to signal their cubs to follow them.<ref name=Estes/>

===Diet and hunting===
{{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical |image1=Cheetah chasing Thompsons gazelle crop.jpg |caption1=A cheetah in pursuit of a [[Thomson's gazelle]] |image2=Cheetah with impala.jpg |caption2=A cheetah strangling an [[impala]] by a throat bite |image3=Dinner for all.jpg |caption3=A group of cheetahs feeding on a kill | image4=A Nighttime Cheetah Kill.jpg |caption4=A cheetah feeding at night in Skukuza, Kruger National Park, South Africa}}

The cheetah is a carnivore that hunts small to medium-sized prey weighing {{cvt|20|to|60|kg}}, but mostly less than {{cvt|40|kg}}. Its primary prey are medium-sized ungulates. They are the major component of the diet in certain areas, such as [[Dama gazelle|Dama]] and [[Dorcas gazelle|Dorcas]] gazelles in the Sahara, [[impala]] in the eastern and southern African woodlands, springbok in the arid [[savanna]]s to the south and [[Thomson's gazelle]] in the Serengeti. Smaller antelopes like the [[common duiker]] are frequent prey in the southern Kalahari. Larger ungulates are typically avoided, though [[nyala]], whose males weigh around {{cvt|120|kg}}, were found to be the major prey in a study in the Phinda Game Reserve. In Namibia cheetahs are the major predators of livestock.<ref name=skinner/><ref name=wcw/><ref name="Hayward06">{{cite journal |author1=Hayward, M. W. |author2=Hofmeyr, M. |author3=O'Brien, S. J. |author4=Kerley, G. I. H. |title=Prey preferences of the cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') (Felidae: Carnivora): morphological limitations or the need to capture rapidly consumable prey before kleptoparasites arrive? |journal=Journal of Zoology |year=2006 |volume=270 |issue=4 |pages=615–627 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00184.x |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> The diet of the Asiatic cheetah consists of [[chinkara]], [[desert hare]], [[goitered gazelle]], [[urial]], [[wild goat]]s, and livestock; in India cheetahs used to prey mostly on [[blackbuck]].<ref name=hunterwcw/><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Farhadinia, M. S. |author2=Hosseini-Zavarei, F. |author3=Nezami, B. |author4=Harati, H. |author5=Absalan, H. |author6=Fabiano, E. |author7=Marker, L. |name-list-style=amp |title=Feeding ecology of the Asiatic cheetah ''Acinonyx jubatus venaticus'' in low prey habitats in northeastern Iran: Implications for effective conservation |journal=[[Journal of Arid Environments]] |year=2012 |volume=87 |pages=206–211 |doi=10.1016/j.jaridenv.2012.05.002 |bibcode=2012JArEn..87..206F |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256941642 |access-date=13 October 2018 |archive-date=5 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240505152115/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256941642_Feeding_ecology_of_the_Asiatic_cheetah_Acinonyx_jubatus_venaticus_in_low_prey_habitats_in_northeastern_Iran_Implications_for_effective_conservation |url-status=live}}</ref>

Prey preferences and hunting success vary with the age, sex and number of cheetahs involved in the hunt and on the vigilance of the prey. Generally, only groups of cheetahs (coalitions or mother and cubs) will try to kill larger prey; mothers with cubs especially look out for larger prey and tend to be more successful than females without cubs. Individuals on the periphery of the prey herd are common targets; vigilant prey which would react quickly on seeing the cheetah are not preferred.<ref name=Geptner1972>{{cite book |author1=Heptner, V. G. |author2=Sludskii, A. A. |year=1992 |title=Mammals of the Soviet Union. Volume II, Part 2. Carnivora (Hyaenas and Cats) |name-list-style=amp |publisher=Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation |location=Washington D.C. |chapter=Genus of cheetah, or ''Pardus'' |pages=696–733 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/mammalsofsov221992gept#page/696/mode/2up}}</ref><ref name=wcw/><ref name=Qumsiyeh1996>{{cite book |author=Qumsiyeh, M. B. |year=1996 |title=Mammals of the Holy Land |publisher=[[Texas Tech University Press]] |location=Lubbock |isbn=978-0-89672-364-1 |chapter=Genus ''Acinonyx'' cheetah |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Amr2oLxnR10C&pg=PA157 |pages=157–159 |access-date=20 December 2019 |archive-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307222447/https://books.google.com/books?id=Amr2oLxnR10C&pg=PA157 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Cheetahs are one of the most iconic [[pursuit predator]]s, hunting primarily throughout the day, sometimes with peaks at [[dawn]] and [[dusk]]; they tend to avoid larger predators like the primarily nocturnal lion.<ref name=hunterwcw/> Cheetahs in the Sahara and [[Maasai Mara]] in Kenya hunt after sunset to escape the high temperatures of the day.<ref name="hunt2">{{cite journal |author=Eaton, R. L. |title=Hunting behavior of the cheetah |journal=[[The Journal of Wildlife Management]] |year=1970 |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=56–67 |jstor=3799492 |doi=10.2307/3799492}}</ref> Cheetahs use their [[visual perception|vision]] to hunt instead of their sense of smell; they keep a lookout for prey from resting sites or low branches. The cheetah will stalk its prey, trying to conceal itself in cover, and approach as close as possible, often within {{cvt|60|to|70|m}} of the prey (or even closer for less alert prey). Alternatively the cheetah can lie hidden in cover and wait for the prey to come nearer. A stalking cheetah assumes a partially crouched posture, with the head lower than the shoulders; it will move slowly and be still at times. In areas of minimal cover, the cheetah will approach within {{cvt|200|m}} of the prey and start the chase. The chase typically lasts a minute; in a 2013 study, the length of chases averaged {{cvt|173|m}}, and the longest run measured {{cvt|559|m}}. The cheetah can give up the chase if it is detected by the prey early or if it cannot make a kill quickly. Being lightly built, cheetahs lack the raw strength to tackle down the prey, and instead catch the prey by performing a kind of [[foot sweep]] by hitting the prey's leg or rump with the forepaw or using the strong dewclaw to knock the prey off its balance. Such a fall during a high-speed chase may cause the prey to collapse hard enough to break some of its limbs,<ref name=wcw/><ref name=Estes/> and allow the cheetah to then pounce on the fallen and vulnerable prey.

Cheetahs can decelerate dramatically towards the end of the hunt, slowing down from {{cvt|36|mph|order=flip}} to {{cvt|9|mph|order=flip}} in just three strides, and can easily follow any twists and turns the prey makes as it tries to flee.<ref name=hunterwcw/> To kill medium- to large-sized prey, the cheetah [[throat clamp|bites the prey's throat]] to [[strangle]] it, maintaining the bite for around five minutes, within which the prey succumbs to [[asphyxiation]] and stops struggling. A bite on the nape of the neck or the snout (and sometimes on the skull) suffices to kill smaller prey.<ref name=wcw/><ref name=Estes/> Cheetahs have an average hunting success rate of 25–40%, higher for smaller and more vulnerable prey.<ref name=hunterwcw/><ref name="O'Brien"/>

Once the hunt is over, the prey is taken near a bush or under a tree; the cheetah, highly exhausted after the chase, rests beside the kill and pants heavily for five to 55 minutes. Meanwhile, cheetahs nearby, who did not take part in the hunt, might feed on the kill immediately. Groups of cheetah consume the kill peacefully, though minor noises and snapping may be observed.<ref name=wcw/> Cheetahs can consume large quantities of food; a cheetah at the [[Etosha National Park]] (Namibia) was found to consume as much as {{cvt|10|kg}} within two hours.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Phillips, J. A. |title=Bone consumption by cheetahs at undisturbed kills: evidence for a lack of focal-palatine erosion |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |year=1993 |volume=74 |issue=2 |pages=487–492 |doi=10.2307/1382408 |jstor=1382408}}</ref> However, on a daily basis, a cheetah feeds on around {{cvt|4|kg}} of meat.<ref name=Estes/> Cheetahs, especially mothers with cubs, remain cautious even as they eat, pausing to look around for vultures and predators who may steal the kill.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Caro, T. M. |title=Cheetah mothers' vigilance: looking out for prey or for predators? |journal=[[Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology]] |year=1987 |volume=20 |issue=5 |jstor=4600031 |doi=10.1007/BF00300681 |pages=351–361 |bibcode=1987BEcoS..20..351C |hdl=2027.42/46879 |s2cid=8951050 |url=https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46879/1/265_2004_Article_BF00300681.pdf |hdl-access=free |access-date=28 August 2019 |archive-date=5 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240505151246/https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46879/1/265_2004_Article_BF00300681.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

Cheetahs move their heads from side to side so the sharp carnassial teeth tear the flesh, which can then be swallowed without chewing. They typically begin with the hindquarters where the tissue is the softest, and then progress toward the abdomen and the spine. Ribs are chewed on at the ends, and the limbs are not generally torn apart while eating. Unless the prey is very small, the skeleton is left almost intact after feeding on the meat. Cheetahs might lose up 13–14% of their kills to larger and stronger carnivores.<ref name="Schaller-1972">{{Cite book |last=Schaller |first=G. B. |url=http://archive.org/details/serengetilion00geor |title=The Serengeti lion: A study of predator-prey relations |date=1972 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-73640-2 |pages=298, 317, 320, 385, 386, 458}}</ref> To defend itself or its prey, a cheetah will hold its body low to the ground and snarl with its mouth wide open, the eyes staring threateningly ahead and the ears folded backward. This may be accompanied by moans, hisses and growls, and hitting the ground with the forepaws.<ref name=Estes/> Although uncommon, cases of wild cheetahs [[scavenger|scavenging]] [[Carrion|carcasses]] that not hunt themselves have been observed; even one case of a cheetah stealing a spotted hyena kill is known. Causes of this scavenging behavior are unclear.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Houston, D. C. |title=Food searching in griffon vultures |journal=African Journal of Ecology |year=1974 |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=63–77 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2028.1974.tb00107.x |bibcode=1974AfJEc..12...63H}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Overton |first1=E. K. |last2=Davis |first2=R. S. |last3=Prugnolle |first3=F. |last4=Rougeron |first4=V. |last5=Honiball |first5=T. L. |last6=Sievert |first6=O. |last7=Venter |first7=J. A. |date=2025 |title=Carrion in Bomas: Multiple Observations of Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) Scavenging Events and Potential Causes in Managed Populations |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387837289 |journal=Ecology and Evolution |language=en |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=e70776 |doi=10.1002/ece3.70776 |issn=2045-7758 |pmc=11711217 |pmid=39790728|bibcode=2025EcoEv..1570776O }}</ref>

Cheetahs appear to have a comparatively higher hunting success rate than other predators.<ref name=wcw/> Their success rate for hunting Thomson gazelles is 70%, whereas the success rate of African wild dogs is 57%, of spotted hyenas 33%, and of lions 26%.<ref name=Schaller-1972/> Their success rate for hunting impalas is 26%, but of African wild dogs only 15.5%.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Hubel |first1=T. Y. |last2=Myatt |first2=J. P. |last3=Jordan |first3=N. R. |last4=Dewhirst |first4=O. P. |last5=McNutt |first5=J. W. |last6=Wilson |first6=A. M. |date=2016 |title=Energy cost and return for hunting in African wild dogs and cheetahs |journal=Nature Communications |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=11034 |doi=10.1038/ncomms11034 |pmc=4820543 |pmid=27023457|bibcode=2016NatCo...711034H}}</ref>

===Reproduction and life cycle===
{{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical |image1=Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) cub.jpg|caption1=Cheetah cub hiding in long grass|width1=Cheetah cub lying in the grass |image2=A little cheetah lying on his mom A.jpg |caption2=Cub with mother |width2=A young cheetah cub lying on its mother |image3=Cheetah Twins Playing (10817164135).jpg|caption3=Two older cubs playing|alt3=A cheetah cub playfully pouncing on another cub}}

The cheetah breeds throughout the year; females are [[polyestrous]] and [[Induced ovulation (animals)|induced ovulators]] with an [[estrous cycle]] of 12&nbsp;days on average that can vary from three days to a month. They have their first litter at two to three years of age and can conceive again after 17 to 20 months from giving birth, or even sooner if a whole litter is lost. Males can breed at less than two years of age in captivity, but this may be delayed in the wild until the male acquires a territory.<ref name=marker9/> A 2007 study showed that females who gave birth to more litters early in their life often died younger, indicating a trade-off between longevity and yearly reproductive success.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pettorelli |first1=N. |last2=Durant |first2=S. M. |title=Family effects on early survival and variance in long-term reproductive success of female cheetahs |journal=Journal of Animal Ecology |date=2007 |volume=76 |issue=5 |pages=908–914 |name-list-style=amp |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2656.2007.01266.x |pmid=17714269 |bibcode=2007JAnEc..76..908P}}</ref>

Urine-marking in males can become more pronounced when a female in their vicinity comes into estrus. Males, sometimes even those in coalitions, fight among one another to secure access to the female.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Caro |first1=T. M. |title=Behavioral solutions to breeding cheetahs in captivity: insights from the wild |journal=[[Zoo Biology]] |year=1993 |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=19–30 |doi=10.1002/zoo.1430120105}}</ref> Often one male will eventually win [[Dominance (ethology)|dominance]] over the others and mate with the female, though a female can mate with different males.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gottelli |first1=D. |author2=Wang, J. |author3=Bashir, S. |author4=Durant, S. M. |name-list-style=amp |year=2007 |title=Genetic analysis reveals promiscuity among female cheetahs |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society of London |series=B: Biological Sciences |volume=274 |issue=1621 |pages=1993–2001 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2007.0502 |pmid=17535795 |pmc=2275179}}</ref> Mating begins with the male approaching the female, who lies down on the ground; individuals often chirp, purr or yelp at this time. No courtship behaviour is observed; the male immediately secures hold of the female's nape, and copulation takes place. The pair then ignore each other, but meet and copulate a few more times three to five times a day for the next two to three days before finally parting ways.<ref name=mammal/><ref name=Estes/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tong |first1=J. R. |title=Breeding cheetahs, ''Acinonyx jubatus'', at the Beekse Bergen Safari Park |journal=[[International Zoo Yearbook]] |year=1974 |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=129–130 |doi=10.1111/j.1748-1090.1974.tb00795.x}}</ref>

After a [[gestation]] of nearly three months, a litter of one to eight cubs is born (though those of three to four cubs are more common). Births take place at 20–25 minute intervals in a sheltered place such as thick vegetation. The eyes are shut at birth, and open in four to 11 days. Newborn cubs might spit a lot and make soft churring noises; they start walking by two weeks. Their nape, shoulders and back are thickly covered with long bluish-grey hair, called a mantle, which gives them a [[Mohawk hairstyle|mohawk-type]] appearance; this fur is shed as the cheetah grows older.<ref name=Estes/><ref name="caro1994">{{cite book |last1=Caro |first1=T. M. |author-link=Tim Caro |title=Cheetahs of the Serengeti Plains: Group Living in an Asocial Species |year=1994 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |isbn=978-0-226-09434-2 |pages=15–48 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hcZCubO01bEC&pg=PA15 |chapter=Serengeti, and the taxonomy and natural history of cheetahs |access-date=24 April 2020 |archive-date=28 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328013124/https://books.google.com/books?id=hcZCubO01bEC&pg=PA15 |url-status=live}}</ref> A study suggested that this mane gives a cheetah cub the appearance of a [[honey badger]], and could act as camouflage from attacks by these badgers or predators that tend to avoid them.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Eaton |first1=R. L. |title=A possible case of mimicry in larger mammals |journal=[[Evolution (journal)|Evolution]] |year=1976 |volume=30 |issue=4 |pages=853–856 |jstor=2407827 |url=http://www.catsg.org/cheetah/05_library/5_3_publications/E/Eaton_1976_A_Possible_Case_of_Mimicry_in_Larger_Mammals.pdf |doi=10.2307/2407827 |pmid=28563327 |access-date=15 April 2016 |archive-date=24 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924070215/http://www.catsg.org/cheetah/05_library/5_3_publications/E/Eaton_1976_A_Possible_Case_of_Mimicry_in_Larger_Mammals.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

Compared to other felids, cheetah cubs are highly vulnerable to several predators during the first few weeks of their life.<ref name="laurenson2">{{cite journal |last1=Laurenson |first1=M. K. |title=Implications of high offspring mortality for cheetah population dynamics |journal=Research, Conservation and Management of an Ecosystem (Chicago) |year=1995 |pages=1–18 |url=http://www.catsg.org/cheetah/05_library/5_3_publications/L/Laurenson_-_Implications_of_high_offspring_mortality_for_cheetah_population_dynamics.pdf |access-date = 24 March 2016 |archive-date = 10 August 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160810125414/http://www.catsg.org/cheetah/05_library/5_3_publications/L/Laurenson_-_Implications_of_high_offspring_mortality_for_cheetah_population_dynamics.pdf |url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mills |first1=M. G. L. |last2=Mills |first2=M. E. J. |title=Cheetah cub survival revisited: a re-evaluation of the role of predation, especially by lions, and implications for conservation |journal=Journal of Zoology |year=2014 |volume=292 |issue=2 |pages=136–141 |doi=10.1111/jzo.12087 |name-list-style=amp |doi-access = free}}</ref> Mothers keep their cubs hidden in dense vegetation for the first two months and nurse in the early morning. The mother is extremely vigilant at this stage; she stays within {{convert|1|km|mi|abbr=on}} of the lair, frequently visits her cubs, moves them every five to six days, and remains with them after dark. Despite trying to make minimal noise, she cannot generally defend her litter from predators. Predation is the leading cause of mortality in cheetah cubs; a study showed that in areas with a low density of predators (such as Namibian farmlands) around 70% of the cubs make it beyond the age of 14 months, whereas in areas like the Serengeti National Park, where several large carnivores exist, the survival rate was just 17%. Deaths also occur from starvation if their mothers abandon them, fires, or pneumonia because of exposure to bad weather.<ref name=Estes/><ref name=marker9/> [[Generation time|Generation length]] of the cheetah is six years.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Generation length for mammals |author1=Pacifici, M. |author2=Santini, L. |author3=Di Marco, M. |author4=Baisero, D. |author5=Francucci, L. |author6=Marasini, G. |author7=Visconti, P. |author8=Rondinini, C. |journal=[[Nature Conservation]] |year=2013 |issue=5 |pages=87–94 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref>

Cubs start coming out of the lair at two months of age, trailing after their mother wherever she goes. At this point the mother nurses less and brings solid food to the cubs; they retreat away from the carcass in fear initially, but gradually start eating it. The cubs might purr as the mother licks them clean after the meal. Weaning occurs at four to six months. To train her cubs in hunting, the mother will catch and let go of live prey in front of her cubs.<ref name=marker9/> Cubs' play behaviour includes chasing, crouching, pouncing and wrestling; there is plenty of agility, and attacks are seldom lethal.<ref name=Estes/><ref name=marker9/> Playing can improve catching skills in cubs, though the ability to crouch and hide may not develop remarkably.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Caro |first1=T. M. |title=Short-term costs and correlates of play in cheetahs |journal=Animal Behaviour |year=1995 |volume=49 |issue=2 |pages=333–345 |doi=10.1006/anbe.1995.9999 |bibcode=1995AnBeh..49..333C |url=http://www.catsg.org/cheetah/05_library/5_3_publications/C/Caro_1995_Short_term_costs_and_corelates_of%20play_in_cheetah.pdf |citeseerx=10.1.1.472.1699 |s2cid=8741799 |access-date = 26 March 2016 |archive-date = 18 August 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160818025024/http://www.catsg.org/cheetah/05_library/5_3_publications/C/Caro_1995_Short_term_costs_and_corelates_of%20play_in_cheetah.pdf |url-status = live}}</ref>

Cubs as young as six months try to capture small prey like hares and young gazelles. However, they may have to wait until as long as 15 months of age to make a successful kill on their own. At around 20 months, offspring become independent; mothers might have conceived again by then. Siblings may remain together for a few more months before parting ways. While females stay close to their mothers, males move farther off.<ref name=Estes/><ref name=marker9/><ref name="Kelly, M. J. 1998">{{cite journal |last1=Kelly |first1=M. J. |author2=Laurenson, M. K. |author3=Fitz-Gibbon, C. D. |author4=Collins, D. A. |author5=S. M. |author6=Frame, G. W. |author7=Bertram, B.C. |author8=Caro, T. M. |title=Demography of the Serengeti cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') population: the first 25 years |journal=Journal of Zoology |year=1998 |volume=244 |issue=4 |pages=473–88 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1998.tb00053.x |url=http://www.mjkelly.info/Publications/demography.pdf |name-list-style=amp |access-date=25 March 2016 |archive-date=1 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110401120639/http://www.mjkelly.info/Publications/demography.pdf}}</ref> The lifespan of wild cheetahs is 14 to 15 years for females, and their reproductive cycle typically ends by 12 years of age; males generally live as long as ten years.<ref name=iucn />

===Competition===
{{Expand section|date=March 2025}}
Although cheetahs and [[spotted hyena]]s favor different prey, the latter will nevertheless steal cheetah kills with no difficulty, with [[George Schaller]] observing that cheetahs in the Serengeti lost 4% of their kills to them.<ref name=kruuk>{{cite book |last1=Kruuk |first1=H. |title=The Spotted Hyena: A Study of Predation and Social Behaviour |year=1972|publisher=University of California Press |location=Chicago and London |chapter=Relations between hyenas and other carnivorous mammals|page=138}}</ref> Cheetahs, particularly females with cubs, may attempt to protect their kills from hyenas by making threatening vocalizations and lunges, but will retreat if the larger carnivores persist.<ref name=Estes/>

In Iran, cheetahs compete with [[leopard]]s for [[chinkara]], [[bezoar ibex]] and [[urial]]. One study undertaken in the Bafq Protected Area found that cheetahs avoided leopards by occupying lower elevations, though one cheetah was nevertheless killed by a leopard during the study.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Farid |last1=Cheraghi |first2=Mahmoud Reza |last2=Delavar |first3=Farshad |last3=Amiraslani |first4=Kazem |last4=Alavipanah |first5=Eliezer |last5=Gurarie |first6=Houman |last6=Jowkar |first7=Luke |last7=Hunter |first8=Stephane |last8=Ostrowski |first9=William F. |last9=Fagan |title=Inter-dependent movements of Asiatic Cheetahs ''Acinonyx jubatus venaticus'' and a Persian Leopard ''Panthera pardus saxicolor'' in a desert environment in Iran (Mammalia: Felidae) |date=2019 |journal=Zoology in the Middle East |url=http://stephane.ostrowski.free.fr/pdf/1-2019-004.pdf |doi=10.1080/09397140.2019.1632538|access-date=14 May 2025}}</ref> Cheetah mothers have however been observed to drive off leopards threatening their cubs.<ref name=Estes/>