Monday, November 10, 2008

Cheetah Facts for Big Cat Lovers

Cheetahs are incredible animals and they are known throughout the world for having attributes that make them special from all other cats. While many people can see cheetahs at their local zoos, there is no comparison to seeing live cheetahs in the wild. They are truly fantastic and deserve much observation. Whether you are fascinated with cheetahs or are not that familiar with them, there are plenty of amazing cheetah facts abound, here are just a few of them.


The Incredible Speed of the Cheetah
One of the most well known cheetah fact is the speed that a cheetah can reach in the wild when pursuing prey. Cheetah’s are exceptional hunters and rely on their speed to catch their prey. Throughout the millennia, the cheetah has evolved special features that make this big cat reach incredible speeds that have only recently been attainable with the fastest exotic cars. For instance, it is a well known cheetah fact that this cat can reach speeds between 70 and 75 miles per hour. These speeds are only attainable in bursts, since it requires too much energy to keep this speed stable. It should also be noted that besides a top speed of the cheetah (the world’s fastest for a mammal), it is a cheetah fact that these big cats can also accelerate faster than any other land animal as well. Cheetahs can usually accelerate to about 45 miles per hour in less than 3 steps. In addition, their top speed of 70 to 75 miles per hour usually comes in at less than 3 seconds- even today’s top cars have difficulty approaching these speeds.


The Cheetah is Built for Speed
Besides reaching top speeds in the 70 mph range, it should also be noted that in order to accomplish this task, evolution has helped the cheetah with specific modifications and features to its body. For instance, it is a cheetah fact that cheetahs are very slim, have large nostrils, large lungs and a large heart. All of these features are to intake large amounts of oxygen and burn this energy very efficiently. Besides these features, most male and female cheetahs have the same body profile- giving both a speed advantage. Other features which are important include the cheetah fact that when a cheetah is in hot pursuit, its claws retract into its paws so that there is no interference or unnecessary friction while it runs.


To read more about cheetah facts, please visit Smithsonian Magazine’s main website at: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/


Cheetah Facts, Glacier National Park, Daredevil, Forbidden City, Cleopatra, Black Holes

Cheetahs are Amazing

For those that love big cats, one of the most amazing of the big cats are cheetahs. Cheetahs are incredibly sleek, beautiful and very, very fast. In fact, one of the most known cheetah fact is that cheetahs are the fastest land mammals in the world reaching incredible speeds upwards of 70 to 75 mph. Here are some other fascinating cheetah facts that you may not know.


Cheetahs, Built for Speed
Cheetahs have evolved over thousands of years to be incredibly fast. While it is a known cheetah fact that they can hit bursts of speed of 70 to 75 mph, it is less known that they can accelerate to about 45 mph in 3 steps and full speed in about 3 seconds, which is faster than even the most expensive exotic sports cars.


Besides being incredible fast, another cheetah fact is that the cheetah’s body is made for speed. It has a long sleek body, small face, large nostrils, large lungs and heart. It also has retractable claws. When the cheetah runs, the claws actually retract into the paws so that the cheetah reduces friction with the ground. To read more about cheetah facts, the Smithsonian Magazine offers an incredible article on the subject. Read it today at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/


Daredevil, Cheetah Facts, Tattoo Art, Cleopatra, Wrigley Field, Benjamin Franklin

Monday, November 3, 2008

Totally Amazing Cheetah Facts

Cheetahs are some of the most amazing cats in the world. While they are known for their incredible bursts of speed, they also look quite different from most big cats. For those that are interested in these amazing creatures, there is a lot to learn since most cheetah facts are not widely known. The Smithsonian Magazine has recently offered an article on these beautiful cats which is now available on their main website. However, for those extremely fascinated with cheetahs, here are just a few totally amazing cheetah facts.


The Incredibly Fast Speed of the Cheetah
One of the most widely known cheetah fact is its speed. The Cheetah is usually categorized as the fastest land animal in the world. This cat can reach burst of speeds that approach 70 to 75 mph. Besides this incredible top speed, it should be noted that the acceleration of a cheetah rivals even the fastest super exotic sports cars. It is a cheetah fact that this cat can accelerate to about 68 mph in about 3 seconds- which is about twice as fast as normal high performance cars and just as quick as million dollar supercars.


The Beauty of the Cheetah
Besides the basic cheetah fact that this cat is fast, the cheetah is exceptionally beautiful. Over thousands of years, the cheetah as evolved into a super fast killing machine. In order to be quicker than any land mammal, its body has some specialized features that enable it to run and accelerate at super speeds. First, the body of the cheetah is very sleek. Whether the cheetah is male or female, its body type is pretty much similar. Thin and having a small, sleek head it is a cheetah fact that this cat cuts through the wind. In addition, the cheetah also has large lungs and a large heart to pump air and oxygen into the body for energy. The tail of the cheetah is also important as it is able to assist in steering. Like a rudder, the cheetah using its tail can turn on a dime. As for the cheetah’s paws, as the cheetah runs, the claws retract as to not cause friction with the ground. And its coat, while very exotic and beautiful is not smooth and silky like a pet cat, but wiry and very coarse.


Read More About Amazing Cheetahs
To read more cheetah facts, the Smithsonian Magazine is offering a fantastic article on the subject. To read it, please visit our main website at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/


Black Holes, Cleopatra, Forbidden City, Benjamin Franklin, Wrigley Field, Tattoo Art