Cheetahs have been known to be around since the time that Ancient Egypt was ruled by Pharaohs. A Pharaoh was an Egyptian Leader, which many believed were half-man and half-god. One well-known Pharaoh was Queen Cleopatra. She was the last Pharaoh to rule Egypt. Cheetahs were kept as close companions to these Pharaohs because Egyptians believed that this elegant feline would carry the Pharaohs spirit to the after life. Statues and paintings on royal tombs were found to have symbols of this beautiful and graceful cat. Akbar the Great, the most successful Mughal Emperor of India, was said to have a strong liking for the Cheetah. He kept over 1,000 during his 49 year Reign. The Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne, also used these beautiful animals as a symbol of royalty and for hunting.
Cheetahs are often mistaken with the Leopard because from afar, their spots and fur color look just about the same. Take a closer look at the two and you will see that they are both very different. Leopards do not have solid spots. The spots on a Leopard are in a rosette pattern, which has a brown center and a darker outer ring. Leopards are more muscular and have shorter legs. The Cheetah has long legs, a small head and a slender body. Also, the leopards claws are retractable. Although the Cheetahs claws appear to be fully retractable, they are not and that is why these animals are considered to have semi-retractable claws. The Fishing Cat, Flat-Headed cat and the Iriomote Cat are known to have semi-retractable claws as well.
Cheetahs are the fastest land mammals in the world. They are definitely built for speed! Their long, powerful legs can go from 0 to 60 miles, in just seconds. The semi-retractable claws offer extra grip and control. Their huge lungs, heart and nostrils helps intake a lot of oxygen and exhale plenty of carbon dioxide. Whenever in fast pursuits, their long tails helps them keep in balance and make sharp turns. They have flexible spines that works almost like an elastic and helps them to increase speed. Just like a football player would use greasy eye black under their eyes to reduce the sun's glare, the Cheetah also has distinctive long black lines running down from the eyes to the mouth, which helps reduce the sun's glare as well and helps keep the animal focused on its prey.
