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The cheetah is built for speed. It has long, slim, muscular legs, a small, rounded head set on a long neck, a flexible spine, a deep chest, nonretractable claws, special pads on its feet for traction and a long, tail for balance. Although fast, the cheetah cannot run at full speed for long distances (100 yards is about the limit) because it may overheat. Cheetahs have distinctive black "tear stripes" that connect from the inside corner of each eye to the mouth that may serve as an antiglare device for diverswatch daytime hunting. Cheetahs are found in open and partially open savannas. Cheetah mothers spend a long time teaching their young how to hunt small live antelopes are brought back to the cubs and released so diverswatch they can chase and catch them. Unlike most other cats, the cheetah usually hunts diverswatch during daylight, preferring early morning or early evening, but is also active on moonlit nights. Cheetahs do not roar like lions, but they purr, hiss, whine and growl. They also make a variety of contact calls; diverswatch the most common is a birdlike chirping sound. Once a cheetah has made a kill, it eats quickly diverswatch and keeps an eye out for scavengers lions; leopards, hyenas, vultures and jackals will occasionally take away their kills. Although cheetahs usually prey on the smaller antelopes such as Thomson''s gazelles and impalas, they can catch wildebeests and zebras if hunting together. They also hunt hares and other small mammals and birds. Although known as an animal of the open plains that relies on speed to catch its prey, research has shown that the cheetah depends on cover to stalk prey. The cheetah gets as close to the prey as possible, then in a burst of speed tries to outrun its quarry. Once the cheetah closes in, it knocks the prey to the ground with its paw.
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