LIFE CYCLE

Cheetah and cubs 

Female cheetahs become sexually mature between 20 and 24-months-old. Their gestation period is 90 to 95 days, after which she will give birth to a litter of up to six cubs. At birth, cheetah cubs weigh between nine and 15 ounces and are blind and helpless. However, by four to 10 days of age, the cubs can see and move around their nesting area and by three weeks of age, they will have their teeth. To keep her cubs safe from predators, a female cheetah will move her cubs from den to den every few days.

As a solitary hunter, a female cheetah must leave her cubs alone for most of the day during the cubs first six weeks of life. This results in a high cub mortality rate (up to 90%). At six weeks of age, cheetah cubs will begin to follow their mother as she hunts for prey; the cubs will also start to eat meat at this age. Cheetah cubs grow rapidly, reaching half of their adult size at six months old. At eight months old, they begin to practice hunting and stalking prey, mostly through play with each other and with prey that is too big for them to catch.

The average lifespan of cheetahs in captivity is 8-12 years; studies on cheetah’s longevity in the wild have not yet been conducted.