03/17/2026
heetahs are socially a little different than most other animals. With most animals adult females form a group or there are mixed groups. It's not very common to have solitary females and males groups, but that is the case with cheetahs.
In most cases cheetah females walk alone. There are records of groups, but not a lot. If you do see an adult female cheetah with other cheetahs it's usually her own cubs. A female cheetah looks after her cubs for 12 to 18 months, then they are on their own. At 18 months they are quite large already and it's not always easy to tell it's a mom with youngsters.
Cheetah can have between 2 and 8 cubs, with the average of 3 to 5. When the time comes to go off on their own the females will go alone, but the boys will stick together.
Brothers like to stick together and when they do it's called a coalition. It's not always brothers, male cheetahs that are around the same age can also form a coalition
A male cheetah or coalition will have its own territory that they will defend against other males. Females how ever can cross these 'borders'.
If females for some reason form a group as well it's also called a coalition
Cheetahs are known for their speed, they can reach 120kmh/75mph. How totally insane is that? Most highways in (South) Africa have a speed limit of 100kmh (62mph), max 120kmh (75mph). Imagine driving on the high way and a cheetah runs past you 🤣
They can't run this fast for very long, it's to exhausting for them. They can run fast for about 20-30 seconds in a row, but it's still really impressive
Cheetahs can reach the insane speed in a few seconds and that's where they win.
In only 3 seconds they go from 0 to 60mph (94kmp) and that's where they win.
No animal can go that fast or reach high speed in a few seconds and that's the cheetahs advantage.
Cheetah are successful in 58% of their attempted hunts, which is much better than the other big cats. The cheetah is followed by the leopard and they only succeed in 38% of their attempts.
I think it's safe to say that this insane high speed chase a cheetah can do is helping them a lot in winning the battle. Just look at their bodies, they are made to run
Here are some photos of cheetahs. We don't have cheetahs in the reserve, so it's not an animal that we see often. During holidays I have gotten super lucky, but I think I've only seen them 6-8 times in 14 years in Africa
