Cheetah Speed
The Truth Behind Cheetah Speed?
Well, cheetah speed is perhaps the most prominent trait for which this fantastical large cat is known and remembered, though there is so much more to learn about these magnificent creatures. There is not an animal on land who can match or escape the stealth like pace of the cheetah. Speed is his key weapon, and the only fault by which he loses a meal is miscalculation. One slip or move in the wrong direction can mean a complete waste of much needed energy and an empty belly for our friend the cheetah. Speed isn’t always coupled with endurance, and the cheetah expends a great deal of reserve on a short sprint, leaving him nearly exhausted for the next 12 hours.
Cheetah speed is accomplished through the master design of the body. If you were to compare the skeleton of a Greyhound dog with that of a cheetah, you may notice some very keen similarities. The rib cage is large and forward, offering the utmost in deep breathing ability. The spine is long and curved in an upward arc when the animals are at rest. This springy composition allows for vast stretching and contracting abilities, moving the animals forward at huge and instantaneous strides. The neck, shoulders, chest, ribcage, and hips are all very thin and streamlined, offering the least wind resistance possible while maintaining the lean and potent muscle needed for full function of the entire living apparatus.
Cheetah speed is not usually used as a defense tactic, though tiffs with neighboring or vagrant cats and dogs can send him sprinting quickly away in avoidance of injury. The human, of course, is his most mortal enemy and gravest threat. The last of the true Indian cheetahs having been slaughtered in 1953, there is no real stronghold left in Asia for these mighty beasts either. They are in danger of extinction, as they have a very difficult time reproducing and have lost so much of their native territory to cities and poaching. There are an estimated 270 wild cheetahs remaining, hunkering quietly at the bottom of Asia in fourth regions such as rural Afghanistan. A greater population occurs in Africa, where their numbers topple ten thousand overall.
Cheetah speed is most impressive at the start of a run, when he gathers himself up and lunges into rates of 45 plus miles per hour within two seconds of a dramatic standstill. He is regal and awesome in his quickness and agility, but cannot maintain top speed for very long. He must be dead on with his approach and timing or all may be lost. Cheetah speed can reach over 70 miles per hour, and can be held there for approximately 3 minutes. He is still fast after this, but if all goes as planned he won’t have to be.