My animal report

Cheetahs
The cheetah is an interesting animal because the cheetah is the fastest land animal on earth. The cheetah runs on all fours. A cheetah’s long, long legs helps it take huge steps. The cheetah’s back is arched so it can help it jump farther. The cheetah has yellow fur. The baby cheetah’s fur is fluffy when it’s born. Cheetahs have black spots and black tear marks. The cheetahs belly fur is white. Cheetahs can’t roar. A mother cheetah calls her cubs with a chirping noise. The cheetah is from the mammal family. The cheetah breathes through its lungs like most mammals do. The cheetah gives live birth to live young. The young cheetahs are called cubs. Cheetah cubs’ eyes are closed for a week. Usually 1-6 cubs can be in a litter.

The cheetah cubs drink their mother’s milk for about six months. Cheetahs stay with their mothers for 14-18 months. Cheetah mothers have to protect their babies from lions, caracals, and large animals. The cheetah lives in grassy plains in Africa or Asia called a savanna that has small trees or shrubs to hide behind. The most number of cheetahs live in Namibia. Scientists think 2,500 cheetahs live in Namibia. The cheetah eats meat such as small hoofed animals. They hunt rabbits and some birds. They also eat antelope, zebras, hares, and wildebeest. Cheetahs bite their food on the neck to kill it. They may eat it then or may hide it and eat when they’re hungry.

The cheetah is endangered. Some reasons are: diseases, natural predators, loss of natural habitats, and poachers and other people who hunt them for skins and as trophies. There are some interesting facts about the cheetah. In India, a ruler kept over 1,000 cheetahs as pets! There is also a rare kind of cheetah called the king cheetah. The king cheetah’s fur looks different from other regular cheetahs. Black stripes run up and down the king cheetah’s fur. King cheetahs live in and around the African country of Zimbabwe.

I enjoyed learning about the cheetah. It is my one of my favorite animals. The cheetah is an interesting animal because it is beautiful and it is the fastest land animal on earth.


Bibliography

• Sullivan, Jody, Cheetahs: Spotted Speedsters, Bridgestone Books, 2003
• Markert, Jenny, Cheetahs, The Child’s World, Inc, 2001
• Clarke, Ginjer L., Cheetah Cubs, Grosset and Dunlap, 2007
• Middleton, Don, Big Cats: Cheetahs, Power Kids Press, 1999
• Stille, Darlene R., Cheetahs, Compass Point Books, 2004
• St. Pierre, Stephanie, In the wild: Cheetahs, Heinemann First Library, 2001
• Schlaepfer, Gloria G., Animal Ways: Cheetahs, Benchmark Books, 2002