By Anjali

* The animal that I am doing for my animal project is the cheetah * The scientific name for the Cheetah is Acinonyz jubutus * The cheetah is a mammal * The female is 2 ½ to 3 feet long * They are 86 – 143 pounds * Cheetahs have 2-3 cubs in each liter

* The cheetah lives in Asia and Africa

* Cubs are smoky in color with long, woolly hair – called a mantle – running down their backs. This mantle is thought to camouflage cubs in grass, concealing them from predators. Mothers move cubs to new hiding places every few days. At 5-6 weeks, cubs follow the mother and begin eating from their kills.

* Cheetahs eat mainly gazelles, wildebeest calves, impalas and smaller hoofed animals. * Cheetahs knock their prey to the ground and kill with a suffocating bite to the neck. They must eat quickly before they lose the kills to other bigger or more aggressive carnivores.

* The cheetah’s future is uncertain due to a variety of threats. The biggest is habitat loss due to human encroachment. In addition, they often deal with declines in prey and conflicts with humans. * There is also high cub mortality due to predation by carnivores like lions and hyenas that are in competition with the cheetah, as well as genetic inbreeding which leads to abnormalities. * Conservationists have been working to lessen the decline in some areas. * These efforts, along with stronger enforcement of endangered species and anti-poaching laws and habitat restoration for the cheetah, have resulted in stabilized populations in that country.

* The first interesting is that the cheetah runs really fast. * Also did you know that the cheetah is one of the fastest animal in the US. * Another interesting is that the cheetah eat a lot of weird things. * The cheetah has 2 to 3 cub * They are 86 to143 pounds.