动物的资料

名称

学 名：Ailuiopodidae melanoleuca

别 名：花熊 华熊 竹熊 花头熊 银狗 大浣熊 峨曲 杜洞尕 执夷 貊 猛豹 猛氏兽 貘 食铁兽 猫熊

英文名：Giant Panda

分类

食肉目(Carnivora)熊科(Ursidae)大熊猫亚科(Ailurinae)

濒危信息

CITES：附录I

IUCN：濒危

国家重点保护等级： 一级

中国濒危动物红皮书等级： 濒危

外形特征

大熊猫体型肥硕似熊，但头圆尾短，头部和身体毛色黑白相间分明。

分布范围

只限于我国长江上游向青藏高原过渡的高山深谷地带，包括秦岭，岷山、邛崃山、大小相岭和大小凉山等山系。秦岭山系分布于南麓，主要分布的县是佛坪，一般分布的县是洋县，仅有少量分布的县有太白、宁陕、周至等。岷山系除甘肃文县为一般分布外，其余都分布于四川。在四川主要分布的县有平武、青川和北川等三县，一般分布的有南坪、松潘、茂汶等县，少量分布的县有安县、绵竹、彭县、什邡和都江堰市。邛崃山系主要分布的县有宝兴、汶川和天全等，一般分布的县有大邑和芦山，仅少量分布的县有邛崃、崇庆、康定、泸定等。大小相岭除洪雅和冕宁为一般分布县外，仅有少量分布的县有荥经、石棉、汉源、九龙等。大小凉山除马边、美姑和越西有一定数量外，仅有少量分布的县有甘洛、峨边和雷波等（潘文石，1988；马国瑶，1988；胡锦矗，1985）。 生境与习性 大熊猫栖长江上游各山系的高山深谷，为东南季风的迎风面，气候温凉潮湿，其湿度常在80%以上，故它们是一种喜湿性动物。它们活动的区域多在坳沟、山腹洼地、河谷阶地等，一般在20°以下的缓坡地形。这些地方土质肥厚，森林茂盛，箭竹生长良好，构成为一个气温相对较为稳定，隐蔽条件良好，食物资源和水源都很丰富的优良食物基地。

生活习性

除发情期外，常过着独栖生活，昼夜兼行。巢域面积为3.9-6.4km2不定，个体之间巢域有重叠现象，雄体的巢域略大于雌体。雌体大多数时间仅活动于30-40公顷的核域内，雌体间的核域不重叠（胡锦矗等，1985）。食物主要是高山、亚高山约50种竹类，偶食其它植物，甚至动物尸体。日食量很大，每天还到泉水或溪流饮水。性成熟期是6.5-7.5岁，多于4月发情。一般于当年9月初在古树洞巢内产仔，每胎多产1仔，偶尔也产2仔。幼仔随母体一岁半后才离开母体。野外雌雄性比约为1:1（梁齐慧，1993；魏辅文，1994）。

至危因素

1、森林采伐。大熊猫栖息地每年的采伐面积达到至少1万公顷。其栖息地每年以大约2.5 km2的速度在消失（Kleiman et al，1991）。近30多年来，陕、甘、川三省大熊猫分布区内人口倍增，已达43万余人，大型森工企业自1950-1985年共达27个（不含县属伐木场），采伐的森林核实面积为42万多公顷，年均伐木面积为2万多公顷，致使栖息地由70年代初31,450km2，经过15年后，已锐减至13,921.52km2，减少面积达17528.48km2，占原栖息地的56％，并造成6个伐区内熊猫消失，10个伐区内仅残存极少数熊猫，种群数量急剧下降（胡锦矗，1993）；

2、捕捉过多。如在解放前汶川县草坡，英、美等西方国家，在那时收购捕捉活体达20多只(猎杀者在外)，致使那里的大熊猫种群，迄今已逾50余年，数量仍然很少，尚未恢复。又如宝兴县从1963年迄今，仅在一个县内，捕捉的大熊猫就达113只以上。从50年代中期开始，从野外捕捉的熊猫已超过240只到国内外展出，其中又集中在宝兴110余只，平武60余只，致使这两个县种群结构被破坏，数量大幅度下降（胡锦矗，1993）。根据大熊猫生命表分析，它们一个世代约需12年，种群增长很慢，如大量捕捉，即使在保护得好的情况下，也需几十年才能恢复；

3、近些年来，盗猎走私大熊猫皮张标本尚时有发生；

4、大熊猫种群分布在25个以上岛状隔离的生境中。这些隔离的生境区大小为205km2（30-2384km范围），其中大多数（67％）的面积少于350km2（Kleiman et al.，1991）。这种种群的孤立和分割则是长期威胁其种群的重要因素，小群体的近交衰退现象将降低繁殖力、幼体成活率以及对疾病的抵抗能力。最终"岛状"成员将消失。据潘文石等（1988）对秦岭熊猫种群的遗传分析，那里有200余只大熊猫，可构成一个约90只的繁殖群体，其世代杂合率递减率为0.54％，经过12代后即140年后，每个成员都将有1/8的基因相同，相当于表（堂）兄妹的亲缘关系；

5、由于人类活动范围扩大，大熊猫被迫退缩于山顶，竹种十分单纯，一遇竹子开花，将无回旋余地，仅1975年岷山地区箭竹开花，死亡达138只以上；80年代邛崃山冷箭竹大面积开花，灾后发现大熊猫尸体108具，抢救无效死亡33只，共计141只（胡锦矗，1993）；

6、在大熊猫栖息地存在未经政府允许的矿产开发、污染以及矿工的伐树和捕猎也是威胁之一（Kleiman et al.，1991）。

自然历史

大熊猫是一种有着独特黑白相间毛色的活泼动物。它的拉丁名：Ailuropodamelanoleuca，指的就是它黑白相间的外表。大熊猫的种属是一个争论了一个世纪的问题：它究竟是属于熊科，或象小熊猫一样接近浣熊科，还是自成一种？最近的DNA分析表明，大熊猫属于熊科，代表了熊科的早期分支。成年熊猫长约120－190厘米，体重85到125公斤。独特的特征包括：大而平的臼齿，它的一根腕骨已经发育成了"伪拇指"这都是为了适应以竹子为食的生活。与其他六种熊类不同，大熊猫和太阳熊都没有冬眠行为。

食物特性

大熊猫的食谱非常特殊，几乎包括了在高山地区可以找到的各种竹子，大熊猫也偶尔食肉（通常是动物的尸体）。大熊猫独特的食物特性使它被当地人称作"竹熊"。竹子缺乏营养，只能提供生存所需的基本营养，大熊猫逐步进化出了适应这一食谱的特性。在野外，除了睡眠或短距离活动，大熊猫每天取食的时间长达14个小时。一只大熊猫每天进食12-38公斤食物，接近其体重的40%。大熊猫喜欢吃竹子最有营养，含纤维素最少的部分，即嫩茎，嫩芽，和竹笋。大熊猫栖息地通常有至少两种竹子。当一种竹子开花死亡时（竹子每30－120年会周期性地开花死亡），大熊猫可以转而取食其他的竹子。但是，栖息地破碎化的持续状态增加了栖息地内只有一种竹子的可能，当这种竹子死亡时，这一地区的大熊猫便面临饥饿的威胁。

圈养及社会行为

"繁殖困难"被作为新闻标题来描述大熊猫的繁殖状况。但是，野外的研究表明虽然大熊猫在圈养状态下寿命更长，但野外的繁殖成功率更高。在野外，成年熊猫不论雄雌都参与繁殖。雌性可以和几只争偶的雄性交配，同时一只雄性会寻找处于发情期的不同的雌性。交配的季节在春季三至五月份，通常不超过2－4天。怀孕期大约为5个月。野外偶尔会有孪生的情况出现，但是雌性熊猫一般只喂养一只幼崽。圈养种群中，孪生的情况较多。分娩之前，雌性个体寻找空树的根部和洞穴生产。它在这种庇护所里和附近要呆上三个月，用它宽大的手掌小心地照料幼崽。大熊猫的幼崽出生时非常小，通常只有100-200克，大概只有母熊重量的1/900。在大熊猫幼仔出生几天到一个月之后，母熊猫会把幼仔独自留在洞中或树洞里外出觅食。母兽有时会离开2天或者更长时间。这并不意味它丢弃幼仔，而是养育幼仔过程中很自然的一部分。幼仔在12个月左右开始吃竹子，但是在此之前，它们完全依赖于母亲。野外的幼仔死亡率比圈养要低，约40%左右（潘文石等,正在编印）。

在秦岭地区的长期研究表明大熊猫的繁殖率大概是0.654幼仔/雌性/每年（潘文石等，正在编印)，与北美棕熊的一些自然种群类似（Stringham1990）。

大熊猫是独居动物，每个成体的巢域明确，雄性个体的巢域通常很大，接近30平方公里，一般和多个雌性个体的巢域重叠。当雄性大熊猫在同一巢域相遇时，如发情期在雌性熊猫周围，它们之间有明显的等级，为争偶会导致争斗。占优势的雄性个体有和雌性交配的优先权，但其它雄性也还有机会。雌性个体在3－4岁时性成熟，雄性个体5岁左右。年轻的雄性个体在等级中位置较低，到7－8岁时才有机会交配。雌性个体从4岁到20岁，通常每2-3年产仔一次。虽然大熊猫唯一的家庭结构只存在母兽和不到一岁半的幼仔之间，大熊猫之间也会通过声音和气味经常交流，即使不是在发情期。大熊猫幼仔在一岁左右断奶，并一直和母亲在一起到一岁半左右，直至母亲再次怀孕。如果母兽未怀孕，幼仔会和母亲一起生活到两岁半，这时母亲将它赶走。独立之后，大多数的幼仔在母亲的附近居住，另一些，尤其是雌性，会远离出生地生活。大熊猫的行为仍需进一步的研究。

圈养大熊猫可以存活30年或更长，但野生大熊猫的寿命通常只在20年左右。

历史

化石显示，大熊猫祖先出现在2－3百万年前的洪积纪早期。大熊猫的栖息地曾覆盖了中国东部和南部的大部分地区，北达北京，南至缅甸南部和越南北部（夏勒，1993）。化石通常在海拔500－700米的温带或亚热带森林发现。大熊猫栖息地的巨大变化近代才发生。近几百年中国人口激增和占用土地，很多栖息地消失了。以前，大熊猫曾经生活的在低山河谷，现在已经成了居民点。大熊猫只能生活在竹子可以生长的海拔1200－3400米之间。

目前分布

野外到底有多少只大熊猫？这是一个很难回答的问题。居住在高山区陡坡的密竹林中，大熊猫的统计成为一项很艰苦的工作。在七十年代和八十年代曾经有过两次调查，估计野外有约1000只大熊猫，这个数字可能偏低。大熊猫分布区域内共有37个县，若按主产、一般和少量三级划分，主产县每县约有100只左右，共有7个县；一般产县每县约50只以上，共11个县；少产县每县常在50只以下，计有19个县。据此推算，大熊猫野生数量总计约有一千余只，圈养的数量约为100只AAAZPA Communique，1993）。大熊猫的净生殖率为1.0672，种群增长缓慢（四川省珍贵动物资源调查队，1977；毕凤洲等，1989）。根据国家林业局2006年的调查，目前全国有野生大熊猫1596只，圈养数量161只。大熊猫是熊科家族中最为珍稀，也是受到最大生存威胁的哺乳动物之一。大熊猫生活在中国西南青藏高原东部边缘的温带森林中，竹子是这里主要的林下植物。大熊猫的栖息地集中在六个独立的山系：陕西的秦岭山脉，甘肃和四川的岷山山脉，四川的邛崃，大小相岭和凉山山脉。八十年代调查统计的栖息地的面积约为13000平方公里（Reid and Gong 1999）。根据国家林业局2005年调查报告，现在已经确认将大熊猫秦岭种群认定为大熊猫新亚种。秦岭大熊猫和四川大熊猫在地域上已经分隔5万年之久，外形上秦岭大熊猫头部较圆。目前秦岭大熊猫的数量有273只。在秦岭山区，在黑白色大熊猫中发现过棕色大熊猫。

分类争议

大熊猫的分类地位一直有较大争议，大熊猫的祖先是拟熊类演变而来的始熊猫。现在国际上普遍接受将它列为熊科、大熊猫亚科的分类方法，目前也逐步得到国内的认可。国内传统分类将大熊猫单列为大熊猫科。

adder, viper 蝰蛇

albatross 信天翁

alligator 短吻鳄, 美洲鳄

alpaca 羊驼

anchovy 凤尾鱼

anglerfish 安康鱼

anopheles 按蚊,疟蚊

ant 蚂蚁

anteater 食蚁兽

antilope 羚羊

armadillo 犰狳

ass, donkey 驴

badger 獾

bald eagle 白头鹰

bat 蝙蝠

bear 熊

beaver 河狸

bedbug, bug 臭虫

bee, honeybees 蜜蜂

beetle 甲虫, 金龟子

billy 雄山羊

bird of paradise 极乐鸟, 天堂鸟

bison 美洲野牛

bitch 雌狗

blackbird 乌鸫

boa 王蛇

boar 雄猪, 种猪

brood 鸡的统称

buck 公兔

buffalo 水牛

bull, ox 雄牛

bullfrog 牛蛙

bullock, steer 小阉牛

bumble bee 大黄蜂

butterfly 蝴蝶

cabbage butterfly 纹白蝶

caiman, cayman 凯门鳄

calf 小牛, 牛犊

calf( pl. calves) 年幼的牛

camel 骆驼

canary 金丝雀

carp 鲤鱼

cat 猫

caterpillar 毛虫

catta 雌猫

cattle 牛

centipede 蜈蚣

chaffinch 苍头燕雀

chameleon 变色龙,避役

chick 小鸡

chicken 鸡, 雏鸡

chimpanzee 黑猩猩

chinchilla 南美栗鼠

chub 鲢鱼

cicada 蝉

clam 蚌

cob 雄天鹅

cobra 眼镜蛇

cock 公鸡

cock,rooster 公鸡

cockatoo 大葵花鹦鹉

cockle 鸟蛤

cockroach 蟑螂

cod 鳕鱼

colt, foal 马驹,小马

condor 秃鹰

copperhead 美洲腹蛇

coral snake 银环蛇

cormorant 鸬鹚

cow 雌牛, 母牛

crab 蟹

crayfish 小龙虾, 喇蛄

cricket 蟋蟀

crocodile 鳄鱼, 非洲鳄

crow 乌鸦

crucian 鲫鱼

cuckoo 杜鹃,布谷鸟

cuttloefish 乌贼

cygnet 小天鹅

deer 鹿

dog 狗

dog 雄狗

dolphin 河豚

donkey, ass 驴

dormouse 睡鼠

dove 鸽

dragonfly 蜻蜓

dromedary 单峰驼

drone 雄蜂

duck 鸭

duckbill, platypus 鸭嘴兽

eagle 鹰

eel 鳗鱼

elephant 象

ewe 母羊

ferret 雪貂

flea 跳蚤

flock 绵羊的统称

fly 苍蝇

foal, colt, filly 幼马

fox 狐

frog 青蛙

gaggle 鹅的统称

gander 雄鹅

gander, wild goose 雁

gannet 塘鹅

gavial 印度鳄

gazelle 小羚羊

gelding 阉割的马

giant salamander 娃娃鱼, 鲵

gibbon 长臂猿

gilt 小母猪

giraffe 长颈鹿

glowworm, firefly 萤火虫

goat 山羊

golden eagle 鹫

goldfinch 金翅雀

goose 雌鹅

goose 鹅

gopher 囊地鼠

gorilla 大猩猩

gosling 幼鹅

grass snake 草蛇

grasshopper 蚱蜢

grouse 松鸡

guanaco 原驼

Guinea pig 豚鼠

guinea, fowl 珍珠鸡

gull, seagull 海鸥

hake 无须鳕

hare 野兔

hawk, falcon 隼

hedgehog 刺猬

heifer 小母牛

hen 母鸡

herd 牛的统称

herd 猪的统称

hermit crab 寄居蟹

heron 苍鹰

herring 青鱼, 鲱

hinny 驴骡

hippopotamus 河马

hog 阉猪, 肥猪

horse 马

horsefly, gadfly 厩蝇,牛虻

hummingbird 蜂雀

hyena, hyaena 鬣狗

iguana 鬣蜥

Japanese beetle 日本金龟子

jenny ass 雌驴

kangaroo 袋鼠

kid 年幼的山羊

kingfisher 翠鸟

kite 鹞

kitten 小猫

kitten, kitty, pussy 小猫

koala 考拉, 树袋熊

ladybird 瓢虫

lamb 羊羔,羔羊

large prawn 大对虾

lark 百鸟,云雀

leopard 豹

lion 狮

lizard 蜥蜴

llama 大羊驼

lobster 龙虾

locust 蝗虫

louse, lice 虱子, 白虱

lynx 猞猁

macaw 金刚鹦鹉

mackerel 鲭,鲐

magpie 喜鹊

male ant 雄蚁

mallard 野鸭, 凫

mare 母马

marmot 土拨鼠

moccasin 嗜鱼蛇

mole 鼹鼠

monkey 猴子

mosquito 蚊

moth 蛾

mouse 家鼠

mule 骡

mullet 乌鱼, 黑鱼

mussel 淡菜,贻贝

mustang 野马

mutton 羊肉

nanny 雌山羊

nightingale 夜莺

Norway lobster 蝉虾

octopus 章鱼

orangutan 猩猩

ostrich 鸵鸟

otter 水獭

owl 枭,猫头鹰

ox 牛

oyster 牡蛎

pale clouded yellow 纹黄蝶

panther, puma 美洲豹

parakeet 长尾鹦鹉

parrot 鹦鹉

partridge 石鸡, 鹧鸪

peacock 孔雀

pelican 鹈鹕

penguin 企鹅

perch 鲈鱼

pheasant 雉, 野鸡

pig, swine 猪

pigeon 野鸽

piglet, shoat 年幼的猪

pike 梭子鱼

plaice 鲽

plover 千鸟

pony 矮马

porcupine 箭猪, 豪猪

porpoise 大西洋鼠海豚

poult 小火鸡

prawn 虾

praying mantis 螳螂

ptarmigan 雷鸟

pup 年幼的狗

python 蟒蛇

quail 鹌鹑

queen ant 蚁后

queen bee 蜂王

rabbit 兔

rabbit 兔子

ram 雄绵羊

rat 鼠

rattlesnake 响尾蛇

ray 鳐鱼

red mullet, surmullet 羊鱼

reindeer 驯鹿

rhinoceros 犀牛

robin 知更鸟

sailfish 旗鱼

salamander, triton, newt 蝾螈

salmon 鲑鱼

sardine 沙丁鱼

scallop 扇贝

scops owl 角枭,耳鸟

scorpion 蝎子

sea bream 海鲷

sea horse 海马

sea turtle 海龟

sea urchin 海胆

seal 海豹

shark 鲨鱼

sheep 绵羊

shrimp 对虾

silkworm moth 蚕蛾

silverfish 蠹虫

skipjack 鲣鱼

sloth 獭猴

snail 蜗牛

snake 蛇

snipe 鹬

sole 舌鳎

sow 雌猪

sparrow 麻雀

spider 蜘蛛

spider crab 蜘蛛蟹

spiny lobster, rock lobster 大螯虾

squid 枪乌贼,鱿鱼

squirrel 松鼠

stallion 雄马

starling 八哥

stink bug 椿象

stork 鹳

sturgeon 鲟鱼

sulphur butterfly 白蝴蝶

sunfish 翻车鱼

swallow 燕子

swallowtail 凤尾蝶

swan 天鹅

swift 褐雨燕

swordfish 剑鱼

tabby, she-cat, grimalkin 雌猫

tarantula 多毛毒蜘蛛

tarpon 大海鲢

teal 小野鸭

termite 蚁

thoroughbred 纯种马

thrush 画眉

tiger 虎

toad 蟾蜍

tom 雄火鸡

tomcat 雄猫

tomcat 雄猫, 公猫

tortoise 玳瑁

trout 鳟鱼

tuatara 古蜥蜴

tunny, tuna 金枪鱼

turbot 大菱鲆

turkey 火鸡

turtle 龟

turtle dove 斑鸠

vicuna 小羊驼

vole 田鼠

vulture 秃鹫

wall lizard 壁虎

walrus 海象

wasp 黄蜂, 胡蜂

water buffalo 水牛

weasel 鼬,黄鼠狼

whale 鲸

white ant 白蚁

whitethroat 白喉雀

whiting 小无须鳕

wiggler 孑孓

wildcat 野猫

wolf 狼

woodcock 山鹬

woodpecker 啄木鸟

worker ant 工蚁

yak 牦牛

yak 牦牛

zebra 斑马

horse 马 stallion 雄马

mare 雌马

foal, colt, filly 幼马

gelding 阉割的马

donkey, ass 驴

donkey 雄驴

jenny ass 雌驴

hinny 驴骡

mule 马骡

cattle 牛

bull, ox 雄牛

cow 雌牛

calf( pl. calves) 年幼的牛

herd 牛的统称

water buffalo 水牛

yak 牦牛

sheep 绵羊

ram 雄绵羊

ewe 雌绵羊

lamb 年幼的绵羊

flock 绵羊的统称

mutton 羊肉

goat 山羊

billy 雄山羊

nanny 雌山羊

kid 年幼的山羊

pig 猪

boar 雄猪

sow 雌猪

piglet, shoat 年幼的猪

herd 猪的统称

dog 狗

dog 雄狗

***** 雌狗

puy 年幼的狗

rabbit 兔

buck 公兔

goose 鹅

gander 雄鹅

goose 雌鹅

gosling 幼鹅

gaggle 鹅的统称

chicken 鸡

cock, rooster 公鸡

hen 母鸡

chick 小鸡

brood 鸡的统称

duck 鸭

turkey 火鸡

tom 雄火鸡

poult 小火鸡

cat 猫

tomcat 雄猫

catta 雌猫

kitten 小猫 Zoology

horse 马

mare 母马

colt, foal 马驹,小马

pony 矮马

thoroughbred 纯种马

mustang 野马

mule 骡

ass, donkey 驴

ox 牛

buffalo 水牛

bull 公牛

cow 母牛

calf 小牛, 牛犊

bullock, steer 小阉牛

heifer 小母牛

pig, swine 猪

boar 种猪

hog 阉猪, 肥猪

gilt 小母猪

piglet 猪崽

sheep 羊

ewe 母羊

goat 山羊

lamb 羊羔,羔羊

zebra 斑马

antelope 羚羊

gazelle 小羚羊

deer 鹿

reindeer 驯鹿

giraffe 长颈鹿

camel 骆驼

dromedary 单峰驼

llama 大羊驼

guanaco 原驼

alpaca 羊驼

vicuna 小羊驼

elephant 象

rhinoceros 犀牛

hippopotamus 河马

cat 猫

tabby, she-cat, grimalkin 雌猫

tomcat 雄猫, 公猫

kitten, kitty, pussy 小猫

lion 狮

lynx 猞猁

panther, puma 美洲豹

leopard 豹

tiger 虎

wildcat 野猫

bison 美洲野牛

yak 牦牛

dog 狗

badger 獾

weasel 鼬,黄鼠狼

otter 水獭

fox 狐

hyena, hyena 鬣狗

wolf 狼

squirrel 松鼠

dormouse 睡鼠

beaver 河狸

marmot 土拨鼠

ferret 雪貂

bear 熊

rabbit 兔子

hare 野兔

rat 鼠

chinchilla 南美栗鼠

gopher 囊地鼠

Guinea pig 豚鼠

marmot 土拨鼠

mole 鼹鼠

mouse 家鼠

vole 田鼠

monkey 猴子

chimpanzee 黑猩猩

gorilla 大猩猩

orangutan 猩猩

gibbon 长臂猿

sloth 獭猴

anteater 食蚁兽

duckbill, platypus 鸭嘴兽

kangaroo 袋鼠

koala 考拉, 树袋熊

hedgehog 刺猬

porcupine 箭猪, 豪猪

bat 蝙蝠

armadillo 犰狳

whale 鲸

dolphin 河豚

porpoise 大西洋鼠海豚

seal 海豹

walrus 海象

　　1 The Felidae Family

　　Acinonyx jubatus (Cheetah)

　　Range and Habitat

　　Cheetahs range in the savanna regions of sub-Saharan Africa, and east of the rainforests in central Africa. A small population of approximately 200 cheetahs also occur in the Caspian Sea area in the countries of Iran, Turkey and Turkmenistan. Their range used to extend farther east to the Middle East and India, but have been eliminated and are thought to be extinct in these countries. The largest cheetah population exists in Namibia, with an estimated 2,000-3,000 cheetahs. However, even here their future is not secure, because Namibian farmers loose 10% of their livestock to cheetahs.

　　Physical Appearance

　　The cheetah is the most canid of all felines. They are adapted for running very fast. Males are slightly larger than the females. Cheetahs are shaped very differently from other felines. They have long, thin legs; a very lithe body (the same tapering shape as a greyhound); a very small and rounded head; and a very long thin tail that the cheetah uses as a balance when it runs. The cheetah has a yellowish-tawny-golden color coat with white underbody and face, and solid black spots all over its body, and a thick black tear stripe that runs from the inside corner of its eyes to its mouth. Their canine teeth are proportionately small for a cat, in order to make room for their enlarged nasal passages. Cheetahs claws don"t retract completely, and their feet are wider in relation to their body size. The soles of their feet are covered with rough scaly pads, in order to grip the ground while they run. All these characteristics help to make the cheetah the fastest land animal on the planet.

　　Unfortunately, though the cheetah"s body was designed for speed, it was not designed for endurance, it is a sprint runner. Cheetahs can only keep up their fastest pace (70 mph) for 400 yards before their body overheats and their muscles begin to tire and produce lactic acid from exhaustion. In fact, the cheetah"s body temperature can rise to over 105 degrees Fahrenheit, a fatal temperature. In order to help them get enough air to their huge lungs while they run, their nasal passage is very large and short. Their heart, lungs, bronchial tubes, and adrenal glands are larger, which also aid in the circulation of oxygen rich blood to the muscles.

　　The cheetah is poetry in motion when it runs. It has an extremely flexible spine, which it can flex and twist to increase its stride up to 20 feet in a single bound! Its hip, ankle, wrist and shoulder joints are also very flexible, as the cheetah sprints and dodges in numerous angles to catch its prey, and needs to be able to maneuver in a split second. The long thick tail acts as a rudder, and by flailing the tail around the cheetah can steer itself at very high speeds.

　　They are very easy to distinguish from the other large African spotted cat, the leopard, because they look so different. They have spots, whereas the leopard has rosettes. The cheetah is much smaller and thinner, and its legs are longer and very thin, where the leopard is much heavier and more muscular with proportionately shorter legs. The cheetah"s head and muzzle is more rounded and smaller than the leopards, and the leopard can jump up in trees and stalk on the ground, whereas the cheetah is restricted to staying on the ground.

　　2 The Felidae Family

　　King Cheetah

　　For years, strangely marked skins from cheetahs have come out of Africa, as well as reports of a strangely-marked giant cheetah. In 1975, in Kruger Park, South Africa, cryptozoologists Paul and Lena Bottriell observed and photographed a king cheetah. It was larger than a normal cheetah, and had strange blotchy markings on its body. They were able to obtain mounted specimens of these creatures to study.

　　At first, people felt that this new animal was a hybrid cheetah-leopard cross. Some king cheetahs were captured, and genetic tests done on them determined that this was false. The unusual coat pattern was caused by a recessive allele (gene), which was known as the "tabby gene", because the same gene in domestic cats controls the tabby markings on them. King cheetahs are the same species, and can interbreed with normal cheetahs and produce fertile young of both types. King cheetahs can breed with each other and produce fertile young of both sexes. And king cheetahs can be born to a normal cheetah pair. The king cheetah is not a subspecies of cheetah, but unusually marked indivuduals within a population. The king cheetah turns up in clumps within populations, and are widespread throughout Africa.

　　In 1981, in the DeWildt cheetah center in South Africa, a "king" cheetah was born. It was the first king cheetah born in captivity. They have the same body structures as a normal cheetah, but the markings are bigger and all the spots are connected in a blotchy pattern. This new mutation is giving biologists hope, as they believe that such mutations may mean that the cheetah is beginning to regain some genetic diversity. Such mutations rarely exist in the wild, but they have been seen.

　　Diet and Hunting Behavior

　　Cheetahs prefer to eat small ungulates: the Thompson"s gazelle, Grant"s gazelle, impala; and even occasionally rabbits. The cheetah eats as much of the prey it caught as it can, and does not return to its kills because it cannot defend them. The cheetah trades speed for strength. It hunts during the day so as not to come into contact with more nocturnal predators as lions and hyenas, who kill their cubs and eat them, and will kill the mother if they can catch her. The cheetah is the most successful solitary hunter, succeeding in up to 70% of their hunts. This is due to the fact that the cheetah is specialized, and by no means reflects on the cheetahs ability to catch a wide variety of prey. The only other hunter that is more successful than the cheetah is the African wild dog, which is the most successful cooperative hunter, catching up to 80% of their hunts.

　　Cheetahs hunt by sight, sometimes standing atop termite mounds to survey their surroundings. Once the desired prey is sighted, the cheetah silently stalks it, until it is within 50 - 100 yards of it. Then it explodes into action, and chases its prey across the savannah. The cheetah"s very flexible spine allows it the greatest running stride of all the big cats. It uses its long tail to balance it while it chases down its prey. And its extremely flexible hips allow it to make sharp turns. Once the prey is within reach, the cheetah uses its front paws to try and knock the legs out from under it. It then kills its prey by a choke hold from their small canines. During the hunt, they run so fast that their body temperature can reach up to 105 degrees farenheight, which can kill. So they can run very fast but don"t have very good endurance. Unfortunately, after all this effort, the exhausted and overheated cheetah usually cannot eat, because larger predators can easily take it away from the tired cheetah, who even if she wasn"t exhausted form the chase could not defend her food from them. Unlike most other carnivores, cheetahs never scavenge. They must eat fresh killed meat.

　　3 The Felidae Family

　　Reproduction and Life Cycle

　　Females reach sexual maturity at 2-3 years, and males at 3 years. Mating can take place year-round, but peaks during the rainy season (November to May). Like most cats, cheetahs are mating-induced ovulators, which means that they do not ovulate until after mating has occurred. In order for mating to take place, the female cheetah lays down and raises her rear end in the air, in a position called lordosis. The male cheetah"s penis, like all carnivores, has a bone called the baculum, which serves to stimulate the female cheetah"s vaginal wall. Also on the male cheetah"s penis are tiny backwards facing spines, which are found only in the cat family. They are believed to provide stimulation for ovulation. The act of copulation itself lasts only a minute or two at most. They may mate several times a day, and the oestrus period, or receptive time of the female, lasts up to fourteen days.

　　After a gestation period of 90 - 98 days, she gives birth to 1-3 cubs in a burrow made in thick grass. The cubs weigh 250 - 300 g (8.8 - 10.6 oz) when they are born. They stay in the burrow for 8 weeks. During this time, the mother moves her cubs constantly to avoid detection by predators. Their first teeth come in at 3-6 weeks of age, and are replaced by adult teeth by 8 months old. Until the cubs are 3 months old, they are covered with a long, fuzzy grey coat, which gradually falls out and their sleek, spotted coats fill in. This unusual coloration is thought to be camouflage for the cubs. Cubs are weaned at 4 months old, but continue to stay with their mother until they are about a year and a half old. During this time they are taught how to hunt. Infant mortality rate is 71% before 2 months, and 95% from two months to 1 year old. The high infant mortality rate is due to starvation, disease, and predation by lions, baboons and hyenas. Those that do survive take 1 1/2 years to mature, and in that time they stick with their mother to learn how to hunt. She will not breed until her cubs either all leave her or die. Cheetahs can live for up to 15 years in the wild.

　　Social Behavior

　　Cheetahs are generally solitary and diurnal (active in the daytime) by nature, but they are actually more social than most felids, except the lion. They are most active during the daytime to aviod conflict with the more nocturnal lion and hyena, which are the cheetah"s main enemies besides man. Females are usually found alone escept when she has young, and males live in coalitions of two to five members, trios being the most common. In areas of eastern and southern Africa, where other large predators have been eradicated, cheetahs are often seen in groups of 14 - 19 individuals. The males and females only get together to breed. After conception, the males leave the females and rejoin their coalitions. In these coalitions, the males live and hunt together, protecting one another from lions and hyenas, and providing food for everyone in the coalition, since it is easier to hunt in a group. Coalitions of cheetahs also have better success rates in establishing and maintaining a territory, and finding mates. Sometimes, a small family group consisting of males and females form. They hunt together as well, and are more successful than loners. The practice mutual grooming, which establishes bonds between members of the coalition. All cheetahs, whether they are the members of a coalition, or the lone cheetah, regularly mark off their home ranges with urine.

　　4 The Felidae Family

　　Cheetahs communicate with each other using a variety of sounds. Cheetahs don"t meow, but they do chirp and squeak. Mother cheetahs chirp to call their young. They also purr to show contentment and growl to show aggression. Cheetahs also communicate using body language, like other cats. Flattened ears and bared teeth mean aggression, and this is accentuated by white spots on the backs of black ears.

　　Threats

　　All cheetahs are endangered due to excessive hunting for their skins, and severely inbred because of a plague that swept across Africa in the last Ice age over 10,000 years ago, leaving only a few thousand cheetahs. The animals also have a low recovery rate, and were unable to mutate to produce a more genetically stable population. Those that survived and dodged the bullets of hunters were responsible for perpetuation of the species. Because there was such a small gene pool left, all African cheetahs today are descended from these few hundred cheetahs, so most are related. This can be proven by comparing coat patterns. All marked animals (those with spots, rosettes, or stripes) have their own unique patterns. Several cheetahs have shown similar, if not near identical, coat patterns; even those that are several thousands of miles apart. Biologists have also noticed that skin grafts between unrelated cheetahs in zoos take, instead of being rejected as they normally would. Thus, the world of the cheetah looks very dim, as no new genetic material can be introduced. Cheetahs have a sperm count that is 90% lower than a tiger or lion, and on top of that, 75% of the sperm are abnormal, having multiple tails, no tail, multiple heads, and even no heads. Captive breeding programs have not been successful, as cheetahs will not readily breed in captivity, and unfortunately, the offspring produced usually die.

　　Cheetahs are also threatened by lions, who will kill adult cheetahs if they can catch them, and kill their cubs when they find them hidden in the grass. Lions and hyenas also steal the cheetah"s kills, and since the cheetah is smaller, weaker, and cannot rick any physical damage, must relinquish its hard-earned kill.