Today we want to tell you about one unique animal - the royal cheetah. Its existence became known no more than 100 years ago. It was first seen on the territory of South Africa, the natives called this unprecedented animal “psui fisi”, which translates as “leopard hyena”. Although rarely anyone was able to see it with their own eyes, chilling rumors about him were passed from mouth to mouth from one kraal (the so-called cattle-breeding settlements of South and East Africa) to another. What kind of mysterious animal lives in Africa? The answer to this question, as well as photos of the royal cheetah, we will present in this material!
Unusual beast
This animal is considered one of the most beautiful and dangerous in the world. In appearance, it looks like two predators at once: spotted hyena and leopard. The animal has habits and the appearance of a hyena: it does not retract its claws, and black stripes run along the entire length of its back. But unlike the hyena, the royal cheetah develops tremendous speed. He promptly pursues prey, has bloodthirstiness and incredible cunning. Like a leopard, an animal goes hunting at night. He easily penetrates noiselessly into any corral with cattle and easily steals a calf or goat from it.
Legend debunking
All these legends about the royal cheetah would have remained legends if the British major, A. L. Cooper, had not shot an animal once during a hunt. When studying his prey, the major noted its resemblance to an ordinary cheetah. The difference was that the hair of this cat was thicker, very large black spots also distinguished it from the cheetah. Since Cooper was not savvy in zoology, he decided it was a cross between a cheetah and a leopard.
Animal study
A few years after this event, the hunters managed to catch several similar individuals. Scientists carefully studied them. It turned out that from the other animals of the feline royal family claws were distinguished, which he did not retract. In addition, the cat leopard had a specific color. All other characteristics were similar to those of a cheetah. After their research, scientists came to the conclusion that this rare fauna is an unexplored species of common cheetah (Acinonyx iubatus), whose habitat is Asia and Africa. Due to the distinctive features, the amazing animal was identified in a separate genus. Reginald Innes, a famous British zoologist, gave him the name Acinonyx iubatus rex, which in Latin means “royal cheetah”.
For a long time, scientists argued about whether the animal is a subspecies of the ordinary cheetah or its variation. The main evidence that this representative of the animal world is a new species of cheetah was its unusual color. While the usual cheetahs have the following color: golden yellow with small black spots, the newly studied species had black spots only on the sides (but rather large), and on the back they turned into a continuous strip.
The appearance of the cubs
The debate ended only in 1981. This happened due to the fact that an ordinary pair of cheetahs had offspring of exactly the same color. This was the confirmation that the royal cheetah is a species of ordinary. Later, scientists came to the conclusion that the individual gene is responsible for the color, which is observed only in some individuals of cheetahs. Only with a certain combination of genes can he dominate, as a result of which unusual kittens appear. By the way, animals with this color are very rare.
Royal cheetah: description and differences from the usual
The color of the animal can have a general tone - fawn or sand, two types of pattern. Some representatives of the species have a thick spotty uniform color throughout the skin, except for the abdomen, which is usually several tones lighter. For others, the hair may have a more marble shade, similar to the color of the hair of Bengal cats. Large black spots adorn the sides of the royal cheetah; stripes of saturated black stretch along the entire length of the back. The structure of the body of the hero of our story is no different from the usual cheetah: the animal has a small head, which has a streamlined shape, and small rounded ears. The body is muscular, lean, without any fatty deposits. The legs of the predator are rather high, with ankle. Its tail is thin, long, evenly coated with hair.
The main differences between the royal cheetah from the usual:
- longer silky coat;
- massive body;
- body length - 115-137 cm;
- tail (with stripes) - 85 cm;
- weight - 40-65 kg.
He's a little bigger than a regular cheetah. The structure of the body of the predator is called aerodynamic, which contributes to the rapid movement.
King cheetah: habitat
This feline is a very rare animal. Its range is in Zimbabwe and only a few South African areas. Currently, specialists from the Cheetah Research Center De Widt, which is located in Pretoria (South Africa), are breeding this species of animals. Thanks to their work, it was possible not only to preserve, but even to slightly increase the royal cheetah population. Previously, their number was only 6 individuals, now there are already about 30 of them.
Food
The diet of royal cheetahs is not much different from the "menu" of the usual species of these animals. Its main prey are small animals. Most often these are mice, lizards, hares, antelopes, gazelles. Please note: almost always (in 70% of cases) cheetahs are lucky, and only in 30% of hunts the victim manages to escape. Most often, the cheetah lies in wait for its prey at a watering hole. Sneaks up on his victim at a distance of 50-90 m, after which he quickly attacks. Thanks to the spotty color, the animal manages to perfectly mask in the grass. With the ability to reach speeds of up to 110 km / h in a matter of seconds, the cheetah leaves no hope for the victim to escape from the pursuit. The predator has excellent vision, and also a trick: it bypasses prey exclusively from the leeward side.
The peculiarity of the animal is that it never eats carrion, but exclusively with fresh meat. And only that part of the carcass that it is able to eat at a time eats. For her remnants, he never returns. This is due to the fact that he is not able to recapture his prey from other predators.
Lifestyle
Royal cheetahs prefer to live alone. Only during the rutting season does a married couple form, which breaks up very quickly. The female is engaged in raising cubs or leads a solitary lifestyle. Males also prefer to live alone, but sometimes they can create peculiar coalitions. By the way, the cheetah belongs to the category of territorial animals. They clearly limit their territory with urine or excrement. The area of the hunting territory protected by the female may vary depending on the age of the offspring or the amount of food. Males most often protect one area for a short time. The royal cheetah chooses a place of refuge with particular care. It should be in an open, viewed from all sides, place.
The female tries to arrange a lair in a fairly open place, although you can also find it under acacia bushes and other vegetation. The life span of cheetahs can vary from one to two decades.
Breeding and offspring
Animals become sexually mature at three years of age - these are males, and females at 2.5 years of age. Mating occurs during the rainy season, which lasts from May to November. A female cheetah hatches offspring for 90-100 days. The usual number of babies is 1-3 in the litter. Small kittens feed on mother’s milk for about 120 days, after which they learn to hunt. As soon as the young cheetahs are one year old, they begin an independent life.
