Thanks to the new age cameras, we can capture a cheetah running at it's top speed. There was a time when we couldn't. That's what you call as a 114 kph speed. A cheetah fuels from rest point 0 kph to 60 kph in 2 seconds flat!- Not even a Ferrari or a Lamborghini machine can achieve that!
There is more to this fantastic cat that makes it invincible when it comes to speed and agility.
1. A cheetah has long slender legs with lean muscle and strong fibres that make it fit to run. When a cheetah runs, it spends more time in the air than it does on land.
2. Over sized lungs, heart, nostrils and liver enable a cheetah to take in massive amounts of Oxygen which is needed to maintain a speed of 114 kph for a long time. A cheetah's chest is large and it's heart pumps blood and achieves a cardiac efficiency of 250 -300 beats a minute. Even at rest, a cheetah's heart rate remains 120 bpm.
3. An aerodynamic body (weighs only 60 kilos), with a small head is perfect for running, less weight means less load on muscles.
4. Tear patches around it's eyes enable controlled light to enter the eyes. The cheetah eyes are equipped with a fantastic night vision power.
5. Un-retractable claws and flat ridged foot pads enable great grip on the ground while running
6. Narrow, almost vertical scapulas (Shoulder blades) & a relatively small collarbone unattached to the shoulder blades enables a cheetah to take long strides and stretch itself long
7. A cheetah has a powerfully flexible tail to maintain balance along with a flexible spinal cord that enables it to stretch, twist and turn. Prey runs unpredictably and a flexible spinal cord makes it easy to change direction in midst of it's flight.
The spinal cord also helps in boosting it's flying start
Being a cheetah, the fastest land animal isn't always a boon. There are downsides to it
Being light weight cats, they have smaller frames that put them in a vulnerable position against larger predators like the lion.
Since they're fast runners, their bodies get so heated up that they need to wait for a long time before they start eating their kill. This time is a curse, especially if a pack of hyenas or a pride of lions is around.
The cheetah must catch it's prey within less than 50 seconds of it's chase because the brains start to heat up dangerously. This is when it needs to rest and can also miss it's prey. A cheetah's run lasts upto 550 yards before it's brain begins to overheat
The maestro of speed is one of my favourites in the cat family.
It is an embodiment of grace, elegance and sexiness.
I have tried compiling as much research as I can from various sources.
It'll be a pleasure to invite more feedback from you readers and compile in as much information as we can.
I'll update this blog with some videos in near future
There is more to this fantastic cat that makes it invincible when it comes to speed and agility.
1. A cheetah has long slender legs with lean muscle and strong fibres that make it fit to run. When a cheetah runs, it spends more time in the air than it does on land.
2. Over sized lungs, heart, nostrils and liver enable a cheetah to take in massive amounts of Oxygen which is needed to maintain a speed of 114 kph for a long time. A cheetah's chest is large and it's heart pumps blood and achieves a cardiac efficiency of 250 -300 beats a minute. Even at rest, a cheetah's heart rate remains 120 bpm.
3. An aerodynamic body (weighs only 60 kilos), with a small head is perfect for running, less weight means less load on muscles.
4. Tear patches around it's eyes enable controlled light to enter the eyes. The cheetah eyes are equipped with a fantastic night vision power.
5. Un-retractable claws and flat ridged foot pads enable great grip on the ground while running
6. Narrow, almost vertical scapulas (Shoulder blades) & a relatively small collarbone unattached to the shoulder blades enables a cheetah to take long strides and stretch itself long
7. A cheetah has a powerfully flexible tail to maintain balance along with a flexible spinal cord that enables it to stretch, twist and turn. Prey runs unpredictably and a flexible spinal cord makes it easy to change direction in midst of it's flight.
The spinal cord also helps in boosting it's flying start
Being a cheetah, the fastest land animal isn't always a boon. There are downsides to it
Being light weight cats, they have smaller frames that put them in a vulnerable position against larger predators like the lion.
Since they're fast runners, their bodies get so heated up that they need to wait for a long time before they start eating their kill. This time is a curse, especially if a pack of hyenas or a pride of lions is around.
The cheetah must catch it's prey within less than 50 seconds of it's chase because the brains start to heat up dangerously. This is when it needs to rest and can also miss it's prey. A cheetah's run lasts upto 550 yards before it's brain begins to overheat
The maestro of speed is one of my favourites in the cat family.
It is an embodiment of grace, elegance and sexiness.
I have tried compiling as much research as I can from various sources.
It'll be a pleasure to invite more feedback from you readers and compile in as much information as we can.
I'll update this blog with some videos in near future
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