International Cheetah Day

Today is International Cheetah Day!

One of the big cats, the cheetah is known for being the fastest land animal, able to run at speeds of up to 65 mph (104 kph) for brief periods of time.

There are four subspecies of the cheetah, native to Africa and Iran. The name 'cheetah' comes from Hindustani Urdu and Indi, which itself derived from a Sanskrit word meaning "adored" or "painted", presumably as a reference to the black tear-like streaks on their faces. 

Cheetahs are diurnal critters, meaning they are mostly active during the day. This presumably helps protect them from other predatory cats like lions and leopards, as they are mainly active at night. Those predatory cats can kill cheetahs or steal their kills. Cheetah cubs are rather vulnerable to predators as well.

Male cheetahs can be rather social with each other, but females are generally more solitary. However, young female cheetahs can stay in ranges with their mothers. Male cheetahs can form coalitions that help protect their hunting ranges.

Cheetahs are also known for their being rather noisy critters. Like domestic cats, they purr when they are content. They don't roar like lions. But they do meow. 

Cheetahs are carnivorous, they love their meat. African cheetahs eat springboks, gazelles, nyalas, and duikers. Asiatic cheetahs eat desert hares, black-tailed gazelles, urials, wild goats, and livestock.

Cheetahs live in a variety of habitats. In Africa, they can be found in the savannas like the Serengeti, the arid mountains and valleys of northern, central, and western Africa, and the high mountains of the Sahara Desert. Iranian ones live in the hilly terrains.

The cheetah is sadly considered a "Vulnerable" species thanks to hunting (cheetahs were killed to protect livestock in Africa until the 1970s), habitat loss, and high susceptibility to disease.