Cheetahs are carnivores with a specialized diet, crucial for their survival and role as apex predators. Their dietary habits are finely tuned adaptations to their environment and hunting prowess.
Primary Prey Animals
Cheetahs primarily consume medium-sized ungulates. Their diet often includes Thomson’s gazelles, Grant’s gazelles, impalas, and springboks. They also frequently target calves of larger ungulate species, including young wildebeest. These prey animals typically weigh under 40 kilograms (88 pounds), though cheetahs can take down animals up to 56 kilograms, with a preferred weight around 36 kilograms.
When larger prey is scarce, or for younger hunters, cheetahs supplement their diet with smaller animals. This includes hares, various birds, and warthogs. Cheetahs have also been observed preying on yellow baboons, vervet monkeys, and rock hyrax. Cheetahs are obligate carnivores, meaning their diet is exclusively meat.
Hunting Strategies and Feeding Behavior
Cheetahs are unique among large African cats for being primarily diurnal hunters, preferring to hunt during the early morning and late afternoon. Their strategy involves stalking prey, typically approaching within 60 to 100 meters. From there, they launch into a high-speed chase, accelerating from 0 to 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph) in just three strides. They can reach top speeds of 110 to 120 kilometers per hour (68 to 75 mph) for short bursts.
During the chase, a cheetah uses its curved dewclaw to trip or knock its prey off balance. Once the prey is down, the cheetah delivers a suffocating bite to the throat, using its relatively small canines to maintain a grip until the animal succumbs. While solitary hunting is common, male cheetahs sometimes form coalitions, and mothers may hunt with their cubs, allowing them to target slightly larger prey. Cheetahs eat their kill quickly, as they cannot defend catches from larger predators like lions and hyenas, which frequently steal their meals. They rarely scavenge from kills they did not make. Most of their water intake comes directly from their prey, so they rarely need to drink from water sources.
Factors Influencing Their Diet
Several elements contribute to variations in a cheetah’s diet across different populations. Geographic location plays a significant role, as the prevalence of specific prey species differs across regions. For instance, cheetahs in open grasslands might rely heavily on gazelles, while those in denser habitats might target smaller animals.
Seasonal availability of prey also impacts their diet; during migration periods, cheetahs may shift their focus to abundant species like wildebeest. The age and experience of individual cheetahs influence their prey selection, with younger hunters often pursuing smaller targets. The presence and density of other large predators, such as lions and hyenas, can introduce competition for food, sometimes forcing cheetahs to hunt less desirable species or lose their kills. The local density of available prey directly affects what a cheetah consumes.