Jaw-Dropping facts about cheetah

### 1. **Speed Demons of the Animal Kingdom**
- Cheetahs are the **fastest land animals**, reaching speeds of **60–70 mph (97–113 km/h)** in short bursts.
- They can accelerate from **0 to 60 mph in just 3 seconds**—faster than most sports cars!

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### 2. **Built for Speed, Not Endurance**
- Their sprint lasts only **20–30 seconds** due to overheating. After a chase, they need **30 minutes to recover** before eating.
- Unique adaptations: **non-retractable claws** (like cleats for grip), a **flexible spine** (for stride length), and a **long tail** (for balance).

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### 3. **Hunting Superstars**
- Cheetahs have a **50% success rate** in hunts (compared to lions' 20-25%).
- They hunt by **tripping prey** mid-sprint using their paw, then suffocating it with a throat bite.

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### 4. **Tear Marks Aren’t Just for Drama**
- The **black "tear marks"** under their eyes reduce sun glare and help focus on prey—like built-in sunglasses!

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### 5. **Cubs Wear Disguises**
- Cheetah cubs have a **fluffy white "mantle"** on their backs, mimicking the fierce **honey badger** to scare off predators. Sadly, only **5–10% survive to adulthood** due to lions, hyenas, and eagles.

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### 6. **Genetic Bottleneck**
- Cheetahs have **extremely low genetic diversity**, the result of a near-extinction event **10,000 years ago**. This makes them vulnerable to disease and reproductive challenges.

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### 7. **Silent but Deadly**
- Unlike other big cats, cheetahs **can’t roar**. Instead, they **purr, chirp, and hiss**—similar to house cats!

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### 8. **Eyesight sharper than a telescope**
- They can spot prey **5 km (3 miles) away**! Their night vision is poor, so they hunt during the day.

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### 9. **Vulnerable Survival Status**
- Only **~7,100 cheetahs** remain in the wild, down from 100,000 a century ago. Habitat loss, poaching, and human conflict threaten their survival.

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### 10. **Ancient Roots**
- The word "cheetah" comes from **Sanskrit** (*chitraka*, meaning "spotted"). They were once tamed by ancient Egyptians and Mughal emperors for hunting.

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Cheetahs are not just speedsters—they’re evolutionary marvels fighting for survival. Every fact about them is a testament to nature’s ingenuity 🌍