Cheetah Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii (EEP)
Size75–90cm to withers
Life-spanabout 6 years in the wild, 15–20 in a zoo
carnivorous (gazelles, antelopes…)
Cheetahs are one of the fastest land mammals. Built for speed, with a contoured ribcage, narrow waist, supple spine allowing them to lengthen their stride, non-retractable claws and longer limbs than other cats, they can achieve peaks of 100 km/h over short distances.
Newborns weigh 250–300g. For the first few weeks they hide in the tall savannah grass, with their mother moving them about frequently. At about 8 weeks, they can follow her as she hunts and start to eat solid food. They are weaned at around 4 months.
Despite their athletic physique, cheetahs are in rivalry with other great savannah predators (lions, hyenas), who sometimes attack young cheetahs and often take the prey they have killed. A lack of genetic diversity within the species and frequent conflicts with farmers also threatens their long-term survival.
La Palmyre Zoo helps protecting this species in the wild by supporting the programme: Cheetah For Ever
La Palmyre Zoo started to fund Cheetah For Ever in 2017. This original program finances the surveillance and the protection of the cheetah females and their cubs in the Maasai-Mara national reserve in Kenya.
The zoo also supports the conservation of the Asiatic cheetah in Iran since 2011.
Status in the wild (Source: IUCN)
- Not evaluatedNE
- Data deficientDD
- Least concernLC
- Near threatenedNT
- Critically endangeredCR
- Extinct in the wildEW