Why can cheetahs only run fast to catch their prey?

Answer 1

A cheetah is built for high speed, extremely long legs, flexible spine, stiff long tail, light weight, huge heart to pump blood, nostrils to breathe at extreme speeds, small aerodynamic head, claws that don't retract, a leopard is indeed a good climber, but can also run 40+ mph, jump 30 ft across a gorge, 15 ft straight up, scare of 4 cheetahs from a kill, kill an adult male eland (they weigh up to 2000lbs, average leopard 150lbs for a large male), have been seen to drag a young girrafe up a tree,and one individual killed over 400 people in Asia in the early 1900's, they are often considered the most adaptable, secretive, successful(over half a million in Africa, that's more than all other big cats combine) cunning, intelligent, and versatile of all big cats.

Answer 2

So they can catch prey like gazelle and run away from danger.A Corvette Twin Turbo accelerates at about 7.2 meters per second. AFerrari Enzo boasts about 8.1 meters per second, which takes it from zero to 60 mph in about 3.3 seconds [source: AskMen]. Acheetah picks up speed faster than both of those cars. Its specialized body accelerates at 10 meters per second and gets up to 40 mph (64 kph) in three strides [source:Cheetah Conservation].

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The cheetah is the fastest land animal, achieving a top speed of about 70 mph (113 kph) [sources:Blue Lion, Defenders of Wildlife]. This incredible speed comes with a price, though -- a cheetah is a rather puny large cat. (It looks a lot like a leopard, but you can tell a cheetah by the bilateral, teardrop-shaped stripes running from either side of its nose to its eyes.) It's small and lightweight, usually less than 3 feet (1 meter) tall and about 4 feet (1.2 meters) long [source: Defenders of Wildlife]. More than half of that length is the tail, which is crucial to maintaining control during a 70 mph chase. The very adaptations that make it the fastest cat alive also make it highly susceptible to extinction, as we'll see on the next page.

On the open savannas of Iran and parts of Africa, cheetahs are amazing examples of specialization -- theevolutionary adaptation to very specific environmental conditions. In this case, the specialization is for speed. Going after impalas, Gazelles and small wildebeests, the cheetah is a blur, and the chase is short-lived, typically lasting about 30 seconds. Cheetah moms spend a lot of time teaching their cubs to chase, sometimes dragging live animals back to the den so the cubs can practice the chase-and-catch process.

When a cheetah overtakes its prey, it knocks it down and takes it out with a bite to the neck. It then eats as quickly as possible. If a lion comes along, the cheetah will abandon its catch -- it can't fight off a lion, and chances are, the cheetah will lose its life along with its prey if it doesn't get out of there fast enough.

Speed is never an issue, of course. Speed is how the cheetah survives as a predator that can't defend itself in a fight. And that speed is the result of some very special physical attributes. On the next page, we'll see how a cheetah manages its unmatched speed.
As we all know, the cheetah is the fastest land animal on earth. Its record speed was about 120 km per hour! Cheetahs run fast because they want to catch their prey.Yum...!

Answer 3

On the Savannah where they live you could say it's fast food country. Their favorite prey is the gazelle and wild boar and these guys can run. Other cats have developed in a Clan society so they can gang up on their prey or set traps. The cheetah is strictly a loner so they have had to evolve into very fast runners to succeed.

Cheetahs have adapted claws that are always extended. These extended claws are like cleats, they dig into the ground for that extra boost.

Cheetahs can run so fast by the aerodynamic shaping of their heads and the flexibility of their spines. The head provides aerodynamic shape. And the flexibility of their spines allows them long strides.

Male cheetahs often form a brother alliance, with male siblings staying together for years, hunting as a group. The only other cat that lives in groups are lions. Also, wild hogs (in Africa, this would be warthogs or red forest hogs) are not normally on the cheetahs menu, as these pugnacious battlers would be hard for the cheetah to take down, unless it was a young animal. Cheetahs normally take prey such as antelope, which they can overpower quickly.
Cheetahs are fast because they are literally built for speed. Their small bodies allow them to go faster because they carry less weight, their long,thin legs let them cover ground faster. Animal's speed depends on the build of their bodies completely. If the body is large and thick, the animal won't go fast. If they are smalll and thin, they will go faster. If their lungs are very small or small in comparison to their bodies, they won't be able to go fast because their lungs can't take in large breaths of air.
Extra flexible spine

Large nostrils and lngs

leage heart that pumps more blood

long legs, spine, and slender/lightweight body

long tail to help turn
A cheetah's sleek body is built for speed.A cheetah's small head gives it less weight for less drag.It's long legs cover more distance,and a strong tail gives good balance. A cheetah's large chest,contain a large heart and lungs,for more oxygen and blood. Although a cheetah is fast it is not as strong as other big cats like lions.Most of the time it has to give away prey,because it can not fight off predators.

Answer 4

Cheetahs

On the Savannah where they live you could say it's fast food country. Their favorite prey is the gazelle and wild boar and these guys can run. Other cats have developed in a Clan society so they can gang up on their prey or set traps. The cheetah is strictly a loner so they have had to evolve into very fast runners to succeed.
The cheetahs have adapted claws that are always extended. These extended claws are like cleets, they dig into the ground for that extra boost.

Answer 5

well most of the time when the prey see the cheetah it starts to sprint in full speed so the cheetah has to catch up to it to eat it! this was a 7th grader who wrote this so dont judge! i hope you liked my answer i gave! :D

Answer 6

The cheetah is the fastest land mammal in the world. The cheetah, can reach speeds of between 112 and 120 km/h in short bursts covering distances up to 500 m. It has the ability to accelerate from 0 to over 100 km/h in three seconds.

In terms of miles per hour, they can reach around 70 to 75 mph.

However, they can sustain the speed for only short durations, typically around a minute. If they continue to run at top speed for over that time, they will die of exhaustion.

It is the fastest animal on earth because, no other animal can run as fast as the cheetah

Answer 7

it is fast because it has long long legs and it eats so it gets energy so it gets fast

Answer 8

Cheetah can run faster because it has long legs... Cheetahs can run 70 miles per hour but short distance to catch the prey..

Answer 9

Because they have VERY strong legs, but they are VERY skinny

Answer 10

Because they work their upper body