There is absolutely no safari goer on our planet who doesn’t dream of watching the cheetah going at its prey in full speed.
The Cheetah is the fastest land animal who is built for speed and agility.
To make the most of their speed, cheetahs prefer the open plains to hunt small antelopes such as Thomson’s gazelles and impala. They often use grassy knolls, termite mounds or even vehicles to improve their view over the flat surrounding plains in search of prey.
Cheetahs can only run at top speed for very short bursts of time; and use their tail to balance as they twist and turn after their prey. As a result, they try and get as close to prey as they can before sprinting. The cats use their paws to trip the animal, before swiftly trying to suffocate the neck. As cheetahs are at the bottom of the predator pecking order, they then start eating as quickly as possible, always on the lookout for scavengers. Cheetahs are often bullied off kills by other predators such as lions, hyenas, vultures (in enough numbers) or even baboons.
Cheetahs can be seen in many of the national parks Tanzania, the Masai Mara Reserve in Kenya, The Kruger Park in South Africa and more.
