HUNTING

While cheetahs are equipped for speed, they cannot maintain their top speed for more than a few hundred meters, so they rely stalking as close as possible to their prey before beginning the chase. Cheetahs typically prey on small to mid-sized gazelles and antelope, but also hunt ground-dwelling birds and small mammals.

Unlike many other predators, cheetahs do not scavenge and their relatively light build means they are often chased away from their own kills by other predators such as leopards. Because of their reliance on sight and speed to hunt, cheetahs primarily are active during the day, unlike most other predators in their habitats.