How long cheetahs can live

In areas where cheetahs coexist with lions, there is an extreme threat to cubs that cannot get away from danger fast enough. Hyenas and leopards also pose a hazard to the young. The cheetah is a highly efficient hunter. They often must sacrifice their kills to the larger predators that swoop in for an easy meal. That can doom a single male cheetah, but groups can fend off smaller predators.

The biggest threat to cheetahs in the wild is humans. In the past, hunting cheetahs for their exotic furs and sport was commonplace.

These might be illegal in many areas, but poaching is still an issue. Human development is also destroying their natural habitat.

Even in protected areas, cheetahs wander as they lose out to other species like lions. A lack of food and territory brings them into deadly conflicts with farmers and ranchers. The lifecycle begins with a gestation period that lasts between 90 and 95 days. These liters can number up to eight individuals, but most range between three and five cubs. They will nurse for three to six months.

Cheetah young will start to follow their mother around as early as six weeks. She will slowly begin to teach them to hunt until they become self-sufficient by the time they are months old.

These cats reach sexual maturity around two years of age. Much like a human fingerprint, these markings are unique from cat to cat. Cheetahs also have signature black "tear stains" on their faces — one trailing from the inner corner of each eye, down to the mouth.

Cheetahs' long, slender bodies, powerful legs and flexible spine enable them to fully stretch their bodies when they sprint and cover significant ground — around 20 to 22 feet 6 to 6. Cheetahs can execute quick turns even while in midair thanks to their long tail, which counters their body weight.

Their semi-retractable claws, which are more dog-like than a typical cat claw, provide great traction during sprints and sudden changes in direction. Cheetahs are native to Africa and Asia, although the Asiatic cheetah has become all but extinct. A small population also lives in Iran, where they are critically endangered. Cheetahs don't have one home location where they seek shelter day in and day out.

Instead, these nomadic cats have home territories or ranges — expanses of grasslands, savannas, forest land and mountainous terrain, ranging from 5 to over square miles 13 to over square kilometers in size, which they regularly roam, according to the Smithsonian National Zoo. When not actively hunting, they prefer to sleep and rest in tall grasses, under trees, or on rocky outposts. While female cheetahs tend to live alone or with their cubs, males typically live in small groups called "coalitions," which are made up of male cheetah siblings.

Females socialize with males only when mating, and they raise their offspring on their own. The gestation period for cheetahs is around three months, and litter sizes vary between three and five cubs, according to the San Diego Zoo. Cheetah cubs weigh between 5 and 10 ounces to grams when born — not much larger than newborn housecats, which typically weigh 3 to 4 ounces 90 to g. Cubs are born with all their spots, as well as mane-like hair on their neck and shoulders.

However, these so-called "mantles" disappear as the cubs age. Related: Cat photo album: The life of a cheetah. When cubs reach about 6 months old, the mother will start teaching them to hunt and avoid predators, such as lions, hyenas, eagles and humans.

The littermates that do survive tend to stay together for another six to eight months, after which the female siblings leave the group to live on their own. Male siblings tend to stick together in coalitions of two or three, so that they can better protect their territories. Lone males are not common and typically do not survive for long on their own. The exception happening in sick, injured and either old or young and inexperienced cheetahs.

Keeping livestock in kraals and utilizing non-lethal means of protection can dramatically reduce livestock predation. While cheetahs can reach remarkable speeds, they cannot sustain a high speed chase for very long. They must catch their prey in 30 seconds or less as they cannot maintain maximum speeds for much longer. Cheetahs spend most of their time sleeping and they are minimally active during the hottest portions of the day.

They prefer shady spots and will sleep under the protection of large shady trees. Cheetahs do not hunt at night, they are most active during the morning and evening hours. The cheetah serves a special role in its ecosystem.

Cheetahs are one of the most successful hunters on the savanna but their kills are very often stolen by larger carnivores or predators that hunt in groups. Predators play an important role in any ecosystem.

They keep prey species healthy by killing the weak and old individuals. They also act as a population check which helps plants-life by preventing overgrazing. Without predators like the cheetah, the savanna ecosystem in Namibia would be very different and the current ecological trend toward desertification would be accelerated.

They growl when facing danger, and they vocalize with sounds more equivalent to a high-pitched chirp or bubble and they bark when communicating with each other. The cheetah can also purr while both inhaling and exhaling.

Only a handful of individuals remained. The population of cheetahs rebounded. Once found throughout Asia and Africa, today there are fewer than 7, adult and adolescent cheetahs in the wild. In Namibia, they are a protected species. Most wild cheetahs exist in fragmented populations in pockets of Africa, occupying a mere 9 percent of their historic range.

In Iran, fewer than 50 Asiatic cheetahs a sub-species remain. The largest single population of cheetahs occupies a six-country polygon that spans Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Angola, Mozambique and Zambia.

In captivity cheetahs can live from 17 — 20 years. In countries across Africa, like Namibia, it is illegal to capture and take live cheetahs from the wild. Also in the majority of African countries, like Namibia, it is illegal to keep cheetahs under private ownership or as pets. Cheetah Conservation Fund and other Africa-based NGOs keep populations of injured or orphaned animals in captivity as part of rehabilitation and rewilding efforts. Very young and extremely ill animals will have greater degrees of contact with human caretakers.

Survival in the wild depends on an aversion to humans and avoidance of human populations. Cheetahs that require hand-rearing and prolonged medical treatment do not possess an adequate fear of humans for life in the wild, especially when their territories are increasingly likely to be shared by human settlements. Accredited zoos around the world participate in captive breeding programs that track the genetic suitability for mating pairs.

Accreditation criteria differs between accrediting organizations. Accreditation in most cases requires that zoos holding captive cheetahs must support conservation work. Cheetah Conservation Fund lists the zoos that fund our conservation work here. Cheetah Conservation Fund manages the International Cheetah Studbook for captive cheetah populations.

As with all other species fighting extinction, the problem facing the cheetah is complex and multifaceted. Unlike other large cats and pack predators, cheetahs do not do well in wildlife reserves. These areas normally contain high densities of other larger predators like the lion, leopard, and hyena.

Predators such as these, compete with cheetahs for prey and will even kill cheetahs given the opportunity. Farmers act quickly to protect their resources, often trapping or shooting the cheetah. Because cheetahs hunt more during the day, they are seen more often than the nocturnal predators which contributes to a higher rate of persecution on the cheetah. Cheetahs require vast expanses of land with suitable prey, water, and cover sources to survive. Available habitat is fragmented, and degraded reducing the number of animals an area can support.

Numerous landscapes across Africa that could once support thousands of cheetahs now struggle to support just a handful. In many parts of the world there are strong cultural associations to keeping cheetahs as companions. There is a long history of the practice and it is commonly seen in ancient art. In contemporary times, cheetahs are still viewed as status symbols. Though cheetah ownership and exotic pet ownership has been outlawed in many countries, there is still a high demand for cheetahs as pets.

Cubs are illegally captured from the wild and only one in six survives the journey to a potential buyer. Threats to the Cheetah Captive Population Info.