Experts believe a single cheetah ideally needs between one and three kilograms of meat a day to stay in shape. The cheetah's kill rate is hard to determine, but the consensus is that each cheetah kills between 30 and 150 animals a year, depending on its size, hunting frequency and the condition of the area. The cheetah's diet, comprises of the young of larger animals, as well as warthog, ground birds, porcupines and hares, as well as the smaller antelope. If the cheetah is unmolested, it normally devours its prey at the kill site.Ī cheetah's food tastes are not as broad as that of the leopard, and it concentrates mostly on small and medium antelope. They are often robbed of their kill by lions or hyaenas during this recovery spell. This is when cheetahs are at their most vulnerable. It will manage to run at top speed for only about 250m before it needs to catch its breath.Īfter a high-speed chase, the cheetah desperately needs to rest for about half-an-hour - even before it eats its prey. While its speed gives it an edge, the cheetah's vulnerable point is its stamina. The element of surprise in hunting is as important for cheetahs as it is for other big predators.

Because of the relatively small jaws and teeth, cheetahs are not as effective in killing their prey as quickly as lions or leopards, and it can take between five and 25 minutes for its prey to die. Using its long, heavy tail as a stabiliser, the cheetah will single-mindedly pursue its intended prey, trying to anticipate which way it will turn.Īt the right moment, the cheetah will knock the antelope off balance and grab it by the throat as it falls. If the buck is alerted in time, it will attempt to throw the cheetah off its trail by zigzagging and dodging between trees and shrubs. Typically, a cheetah will start a charge 60m to 100m from an antelope and, within seconds, will be racing at full tilt. This limits cheetahs tree-climbing ability but gives them a speed advantage when charging. Cheetahs are slightly taller than leopards but not as bulky, probably weighing between 40kg and 60kg.Īlthough cheetahs are members of the cat family, they have dog-like non-retractable claws.

While the lion and the leopard rely on getting close to their intended prey before breaking cover, the cheetah's speed gives it an advantage in the more open savanna.

Cheetah os