Category Predators

The cheetahs are the smallest of the African big cats. A fully grown cheetah weighs around 58 kilograms. Cheetahs are known for their unbeatable speed. Long legs, a slender body and a long tail help the cheetah to run fast. It is its speed that aids a cheetah in hunting.

A cheetah hunts during the day. In a burst of speed, it tries to get as close to the prey as possible, outruns the prey and knocks it down. Because of their speed, their body overheats in about twenty seconds! If the prey can stay ahead for longer than 20 seconds, it stands a good chance of escaping. If the kill is successful, the cheetah drags the prey to a safe hiding place, protecting the kill from being stolen.

Cheetahs are native to Central Iran and Africa. Earlier, they were tamed and were used for hunting. It is said that Emperor Akbar kept a thousand trained cheetahs for hunting!

Humans view the golden and black stripes of a tiger with awe and terror. This ferocious animal is admired for its beauty, swift-yet-silent movements and the grace with which it catches its prey. The tiger is the biggest of all cats. It is a territorial hunter; a tiger marks its territory either by clawing on trees or with its faecal matter.

Tigers need plenty of space to thrive. They prey on many species of deer, antelope, wild pigs and porcupine. They are also known to kill animals as large as wild bulls and buffaloes. Tigers follow a strategy to hunt. They stalk their prey, sometimes for hours, and try to get as close as possible. At the right moment, they pounce on the prey from behind, biting the neck or throat. When the prey is dead, it is dragged to a safe place to be eaten. Tigers are brilliant swimmers; they catch fish and turtles as well.

There are six different species of tigers that live in a variety of habitats ranging from the forests of Southern Asia to mangrove swamps and snowy mountains.

Picture Credit : Google

Perhaps, our first knowledge of lions comes from bedtime stories that feature the lion as the king of the forest. Let us however, now talk about lions outside these stories.

Lions hunt at night or early in the morning. Out of the forty species of cats around the world, only lions hunt in groups. They either stalk the prey like tigers do, or find a spot close to places like a waterhole. A lion fights the prey and brings it down before killing it. An adult lion eats around 18 kilograms of meat at a time. After a sumptuous meal, a lion can sleep up to 24 hours!

Lions generally live in grasslands and savannahs. Almost 90 per cent of the hunt is carried out by female lions. The male lions have the duty of patrolling their territory and protecting the group, known as a pride. A mature lion weighs up to 250 kilograms.

Picture Credit : Google