Cheetahs are known by all to be the fastest running animal, although most do not know the answer to the question how fast does a cheetah run. Interesting fact, the name cheetah is derived from a Hindi word that means “spotted one” or in Sanskrit word “chitraka”. An adult cheetah is covered with yellow or tan fur that has dark circles or oval spots that measures from .75 to 1.5 inches in diameter. The spots are seen mostly in their whole body except at the parts in throat and abdomen. An adult cheetah weighs 80 – 140 pounds and is around 32 inches tall with also the tail that measures 28 – 32 inches.
Cheetahs produce sounds like purrs, bleats, barks, growls, hisses and chirps. Their chirping sound can be heard even a mile away. Cheetahs cannot roar like a lot of other big cats. They only have one hyoid bone instead of two, that is why roaring for them is not possible. A few years ago, cheetahs could be found in an areas from North Africa to India. Nowadays, they are commonly found only in sub-Saharan Desert. Their habitats includes sparse sub-desert, steppe, medium and long grass plains. Cheetahs require an environment with tall grass, bushes, and other large plants to help them hide from predators.
Cheetahs are indeed made for speed. As you can see, the parts of their body are designed to help them run fast. They have special paw pads with semi-retractable claws that gives them excellent grip. They have large nostrils and and lungs that also help them to have fast air intake. In addition, they have large heart, liver, adrenals that promotes fast physical response. Their vertical shoulder blades and small collar bones elongates the step they take. The tail acts as the rudder to help them turn quickly.
Their eyes have a sharp, wide view of the surroundings because of their retinal shape which is elongated. The dark tear mark on near their eyes enhances visual acuity for it minimizes the sun’s brightness. Cheetah’s spine works like a spring in order their powerful back legs add a reach for each step. Their top speed reaches 71 miles per hour and can be normally maintained only 200 – 300 yards. Below is a table on how fast does a cheetah run according to different sources.
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BIBLIOGRAPHIC ENTRY |
RESULT (TEXT) |
STANDARDIZED RESULT |
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“Cheetah.” Illustrated Encyclopedia of Animals. New York: grisewood & Dempsey, 1992. |
“Someone reportedly timed a cheetah running at 70 mph over a distance of 700 yards. But many people accept a likelier top speed of about 60 mph.” |
31 m/s (claimed) 27 m/s (likely) |
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“Cheetah.” World Almanac and Book of Facts. New Jersey: Primedia, 1998. |
“Cheetah, 70 mph” |
31 m/s |
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Macmillan, Dianne M. Cheetahs. Minneapolis, MN: Carolhoda, 1997. |
“From a standing start the cheetah can reach 45 mph in 2 seconds.” |
20 m/s |
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“Cheetah.” Macmillan Illustrated Animal Encyclopedia. New York: Macmillan, 1994. |
“Superbly adapted for speed, the Cheetah is the fastest of the big cats, able to retain speeds of 112 km/hr.” |
31.1 m/s |
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Cheetah Conservation in Southern Southern Africa. Trade Environment Database (TED). American University, Washington, DC. |
“The cheetah is capable of speed up to 72 mph and can maintain this speed over an average prey chase of 3.5 miles.” |
32 m/s |
Even if the speeds on how fast does a cheetah run varies according to the different sources, cheetahs are still the fastest.