By Obiabin Onukwugha
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a large cat with a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. Cheetah is the fastest land animal, capable of running at 80 to 98 km/h (50 to 61 mph); it has evolved specialized adaptations for speed, including a light build, long thin legs and a long tail. They routinely reach velocities of 80–100 km per hour while pursuing prey.
Unlike most carnivores, cheetahs are active mainly during the day, hunting in the early morning and late afternoon. A cheetah eats a variety of small animals, including game birds, rabbits, small antelopes (including the springbok, impala, and gazelle), young warthogs, and larger antelopes (such as the kudu, hartebeest, oryx, and roan). Prey is generally consumed quickly by Cheetah to avoid losing it to competitors such as lions, leopards, jackals, and hyenas.
Groups consist of a mother and her young or of coalitions made up of two or three males that are often brothers. Adult males and females rarely meet except to mate. Male coalitions live and hunt together for life and occupy an area that may overlap the range of several adult females. Female home ranges on the other hand, are generally much larger than those of male coalitions.
In reproduction, Cheetah gestation period lasts up to three months, after which the female gives birth to two to eight cubs, usually in an isolated spot hidden in the cover of tall grass or thicker vegetation.
Scientists say life expectancy of cheetahs is about 7 years in the wild and generally from 8 to 12 years in captivity.
Cheetahs live primarily in grasslands and benefit the ecosystem by keeping the animals it hunts at healthy populations. They typically hunt the weak and slowest of several species of animals. According to Scientists, if cheetahs no longer existed, there would be a domino effect referred to as trophic cascade.
Reports say, there are less than 7,500 left in the wild and are only found in African forests. This low population number classifies them as a vulnerable species. Their population is declining due to loss of prey, illegal hunting, and the fragmentation and loss of their habitat.
Hausas call it “rabbi”, Yorubas call it “àmò̩té̩kùn”, while Igbos call it “Agu Awara.”
Why the Cheetah’s cheek is stained with tears
Once upon a time, a lazy hunter sat under a tree watching a herd of springbok graze in a nearby field. He was so enjoying the shade of the tree and the gentle breeze that he didn’t feel like hunting. But, before long, the hunter noticed a cheetah approaching the herd and the cheetah did feel like hunting.
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The hunter watched the cheetah creep through the grass toward a small springbok who had wandered away from the herd. Suddenly, Cheetah sprang forward and ran so fast that the hunter could hardly see her. Cheetah was a great hunter, and she easily caught the little springbok.
After the cheetah carry her prey to her three cubs who were waiting in a patch of shade nearby, the lazy hunter thought, “If I had someone who could hunt like that for me, I could spend every day napping in the shade of this tree.”
Then, the hunter had an idea!
He waited until the mother cheetah went to get a drink from the waterhole, and then he crept to where the three cubs were hidden, waiting for their mama to return. The cubs were too young to be frightened of the hunter.
So, the hunter looked at the cheetah cubs, trying to decide which to steal. Finally, he decided to take all three, thinking that they would hunt for him and make his life easy.
When the mother cheetah returned to find that her cubs were gone, she was heartbroken. She wept and wailed and cried for her lost children. She cried all night and all the next day until her tears made dark stains down her cheeks. She cried so much and so noisily that an old man heard her and came to find out what was wrong.
When the old man learned what had happened and who was responsible, he went quickly to tell the village elders and told them about what the lazy hunter had done.
The elders were furious!
The lazy hunter was a thief, and he had dishonored the tribe by breaking with tradition: Hunters must use only their own strength and skill to hunt, the village elders said.
The villagers found the lazy hunter, ordered him to go far away for the rest of time, and brought the three cubs back to their mother.
The mama cheetah and her cubs were overjoyed to be back together, safe and sound. But the mother cheetah’s face remained stained with tears forever.
Cheetahs still wear those tear stained cheeks today to remind hunters to hunt honorably.
