All articles tagged with #cheetahs
Scientists in northern Saudi Arabia uncovered seven mummified cheetahs and bones from 54 others in a cave site near Arar, dating from 130 years to more than 1,800 years ago; the exceptionally preserved remains, due to dry cave conditions, offer rare insights into cheetah history and extinction in the Arabian Peninsula, though researchers still aren’t sure how the cats ended up there or the exact mummification process.
A new study explains why the fastest animals on land, in water, and in air are all of intermediate size, revealing that an animal's maximum running speed is determined by the speed and extent of muscle contraction. Animals around the size of a cheetah hit a "sweet spot" where these two limits coincide, while larger animals like elephants hit a "work capacity limit" and smaller animals hit a "kinetic energy capacity limit." The research, tested against data from over 400 species, accurately predicted maximum running speeds and could potentially guide the development of robots emulating nature's finest runners.
Scientists have discovered a "sweet spot" in animals that explains why fast-moving animals like cheetahs can reach such high speeds, with a study published in Nature Communications. The study found that maximum running speed is constrained by how fast and by how far an animal's muscles can contract, with a "kinetic energy capacity limit" for smaller animals and a "work capacity limit" for larger animals. Animals around the size of a cheetah, at around 50kg, exist in a physical sweet spot where these two limits coincide, making them the fastest. The research also sheds light on muscle evolution and provides insights into differences between animal groups, raising questions about the muscle physiology of extinct and current animals, including human athletes.
Cheetahs are adapting to climate change by becoming more nocturnal on hot days, shifting their hunting activity towards dawn and dusk. However, this puts them at a higher risk of encountering competing predators such as lions and leopards, who scavenge from their kills. The study highlights the impact of changing temperatures on the behavior and dynamics among large carnivore species. With the predicted increase in temperatures in Africa, cheetahs face additional challenges in their already endangered status due to habitat fragmentation and human conflict.
The Alberta government has proposed a bill that would allow more workers to use the "software engineer" title, a move applauded by Canada's tech community. Cheetahs are shifting their hunting activity to dawn and dusk hours during warmer weather, which may increase conflicts with nocturnal predators due to climate change. A woman in Dawson City, Yukon, had a tragic encounter with a wolf that attacked her dog outside her home. Astronomers have discovered seven planets orbiting a star in our Milky Way galaxy, all of which are being "fried" by their star's radiant energy even more intensely than Mercury.
A video of a cheetah meowing like a domestic cat has surprised many people who were unaware that cheetahs cannot roar like other big cats. Cheetahs meow because they belong to the same sub-family of small cats, known as Felinae, which includes domestic cats. Unlike big cats such as lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars, cheetahs have a fixed voice box that prevents them from roaring. The video has gained popularity on TikTok, with viewers finding the cheetah's meow adorable.
The death of a seventh cheetah in India's Kuno National Park has raised concerns about the country's efforts to reintroduce the species. The cheetah, named Tejas, was one of 12 relocated from South Africa earlier this year as part of a project to bring cheetahs back to India after their extinction 70 years ago. Multiple deaths, including four adult cheetahs and three cubs, have raised questions about the suitability of the habitat and management of the project. While some believe the reintroduction program could benefit India's ecosystems, others worry about competition for food from predators like leopards. India plans to bring in 100 cheetahs from southern Africa over the next decade.
Three out of four cheetah cubs born in India, the first in over 70 years, have died in Kuno National Park due to a heatwave in the region. The mother was among 20 cheetahs flown from Africa as part of an ambitious plan to reintroduce the animal that had gone extinct in India. The survival rate of cheetah cubs in the wild and captivity is low. The government is confident the relocation of cheetahs will be successful, but many experts have expressed scepticism about the ambitious project to reintroduce the African animals into Indian forests.
Two cheetah cubs have died and a third is in critical condition at a national park in India's Madhya Pradesh state. The cubs were the first to be born in India in more than 70 years after the animals were declared officially extinct in the country. Wildlife experts had welcomed the reintroduction of the animal but some also warned of potential risks to them from other predators and not having enough prey.
Three cheetah cubs have died in India due to heat, dehydration, and weakness, dealing a blow to the government's effort to reintroduce the species to the country after 70 years of extinction. The cubs were part of a litter of four born in late March to a cheetah named Siyaya, who was one of eight rehabilitated cheetahs brought from Namibia to India’s Kuno National Park. The latest deaths bring to six the number of cheetahs that have died since being reintroduced into India. Cheetahs were declared extinct in India in 1952 and are the only large carnivore in the country to have suffered that fate.
Two more cheetah cubs have died in Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India, bringing the total number of cheetah deaths to six within the past two months since the translocation of cheetahs from African countries to Kuno. Preliminary investigations indicate that malnutrition may be the cause of death for these cubs. One cub has been rescued and is receiving intensive treatment and close monitoring at Palpur Hospital. The remaining female cheetah, Jwala, is in stable health and under continuous observation. The National Tiger Conservation Authority has constituted a “Cheetah Project Steering Committee” to review the progress of the project.
A female cheetah named Daksha has died during mating with two male cheetahs at Kuno National Park in India, raising questions about the adequacy of space provided to the animals. The other two cheetahs died of natural causes. Despite setbacks, experts remain optimistic about India's reintroduction program, which aims to introduce 50 cheetahs over a five-year period.
A second African cheetah, Uday, has died in India's Kuno National Park, where 12 cheetahs were brought from South Africa in February as part of a government programme to reintroduce the big cats to India. The cause of Uday's death remains unclear, and an autopsy will be conducted. The first cheetah, Sasha, died of a kidney ailment at the same park on March 27. The Asiatic cheetah subspecies became extinct in India more than 70 years ago, but under the government programme, cheetahs were reintroduced to the South Asian country last year.
Four cheetah cubs were born in India, marking the first time in 70 years that cheetahs have been born in the country. The cubs were born to cheetahs Siyaya and Freddie, who were moved to India as part of the government's plan to reintroduce the big cat to the country and promote wildlife conservation efforts.
India has welcomed the birth of four cheetah cubs, marking the first time the endangered species has been born in the country in over 70 years. The cubs were born to two of the eight rehabilitated cheetahs brought from Namibia to India's Kuno National Park last September as part of a government plan to re-home 50 of the big cats in India over the next five years. Cheetahs were declared extinct in India in 1952 due to habitat loss and sport-hunting by Indian nobility.