The cheetah is the fastest land animal. It holds the record with registered marks of 115 km / h. But this speed only reaches it when it covers short distances, of about 500 meters. The longer it travels, its average speed drops to 98-108 km / h
This feline ( Acinonyx jubatus ) has rough legs and non-retractable claws that allow it to perform amazing starting , braking, pivoting and turning maneuvers during a sprint, as published in a study in the journal Nature in 2013.
The cheetah is a successful hunter not only because it is swift, but also because it can keep an incredibly still gaze while chasing its prey.
Among the extraordinary sensory abilities of the cheetah are its speedy inner ear, an organ that is essential for maintaining body balance and adapting head posture during movement in most vertebrates. Apparently, according to a study in the journal Scientific Reports in April 2019, the inner ear of modern cheetahs is unique and probably evolved relatively recently. The inner ears of living cheetahs differ markedly from those of all other cats alive today, with a greater overall volume of the vestibular system and longer anterior and posterior semicircular canals.
Furthermore, the cheetah combines and can even anticipate the escape tactics of different prey when hunting , rather than relying on their speed and agility, as previously thought.
Cheetah chases comprise two primary phases: the first is an initial rapid acceleration resulting in high speed to quickly catch up with prey; followed by a second, which is a prey-specific deceleration period, five to eight seconds before the end of the chase, which allows the cheetah to match the turns instigated by the prey as the distance between them becomes more short.
On the other hand, the time spent in the initial phase and in the second differs according to the species of the prey; For example, some species like ostriches and hares try to escape by making sudden changes in direction, while other species like wildebeest try to escape quickly.
Scientists even make clear differences between successful and unsuccessful hunts. Unsuccessful hunts involve a minor turn at the end of the chase, probably when the cheetah realizes that it will not be able to reach its prey; which seems to involve less energy than successful hunts.
