We have covered a few “safari myths” on this blog over the last year or so such as whether or not impalas can delay their births and do elephant get drunk on marula fruit? I also dedicated a whole post to busting open multiple myths regarding hyenas.
Today the focus is on Cheetah and one particular myth that has bothered me for sometime which is that cheetah will abandon a hunt midway through to avoid overheating and collapsing. I will be the first to admit that I may have told a few guests over my years of guiding that this was the case but when I couldn’t find any information to back this up I stopped venturing this explanation. That was until I came across an article by National Geographic recently that highlighted the origins of this myth and why it wasn’t true.
This particular hunt did end in success for the cheetah. Photograph by Chris Kane-Berman
Way back in 1973, as reported by National Geographic, there was a study involving two cheetahs that were held in captivity. The study placed them both on treadmills and monitored their sprinting prowess. The evidence gathered from this study was then applied to free-ranging cheetah suggesting that the reason they only had about a 40%-50% hunting success rate in the wild was because they simply got too hot.
However, on the 24th of July 2013 a new study was published suggesting that this was not the case. Robyn Hetem, study leader and a biologist at the University of Witwatersrand, gathered data from four cheetahs that had sensors implanted in them at a rehabilitation facility in Namibia. They were free ranging cheetahs that had to hunt for themselves and her results were very interesting.
Over the course of the study she noticed that body temperatures in the cheetah during the actual chasing of their prey, whether the hunt was successful or not, would stay relatively constant. It was only after the cheetah had stopped running that their body temperature would rise but the interesting part was that their body temperature would rise considerably more after a successful hunt then an unsuccessful hunt.
A male cheetah uses a fallen over tree to his advantage as he scans the surrounding area for prey or potential threats. Photograph by James Souchon
The researchers, when looking for reasons why this may be the case, thought that because cheetahs rank quite low on the predator hierarchy, the rise in body temperature could be attributed to the stress of having to be alert and constantly on the look out for predators as they try and protect their kill and feed at the same time.
Cheetah have to constantly be aware of other large predators in their area and will flee at the sight of a lion, leopard or hyena. In the above photo a male cheetah escapes the charge of a male leopard.
A Hyena runs in to steal a kill from a cheetah who helplessly tries to resist before accepting defeat and moving off. Photograph by James Tyrrell
On some occasions the body temperature spikes also happened before the cheetah started feeding, which ruled out a possible explanation that the spike could have been caused by digestion during the feeding process. The results were further substantiated when on one occasion a cheetah, which was not involved in the hunt, arrived at the kill to feed and showed the same spike in body temperature as the individual who had made the kill.
After a successful hunt in the Sand River, a male cheetah regains his breath and scans the area for any predators who may have been alerted by the sounds of the hunt. Photograph by James Souchon
As for the reason as to why cheetahs sometimes abandon a hunt early, no one knows for sure. Perhaps as technology gets used more and more in the conservation of these precious cats more information will come to light and even more myths will be dispelled. Maybe they are just really good at knowing when they won’t be able to close the gap.
What has become increasingly evident to me over the years is the combined power of curiosity and observation. Reading one thing in a field guide and observing another thing in the field happens from time to time because nature is dynamic and never constant. A cheetah at Londolozi may behave differently to a cheetah on the plains of East Africa and the same holds true for all species. The challenge to everyone is to never stop questioning because then you will never stop learning.
How very interesting, James! Thanks for sharing this new information. I agree we must never stop researching and learning!
Hi James , thank you for the correction .How was Botswana???warm regards,Dina,Guido
Great post, great information . . . keep ’em coming.
Thanks for this really interesting blog James – can’t wait for the next one!
I agree, great blog!
Thanks for an interesting post James!
Great post. Others will debunk the 2013 study and so it goes. BTW: check your spelling of Maputaland on your profile.
Thanks for sharing James, very interesting.
Very interesting blog James. It is a tough life in the bush for all animals. I wonder why cheetah would not stash their kill like the leopards. Thanks for debunking the myths.
Hi Leonie. Thanks for your comment. Cheetah don’t stash their kills like leopards as they are not strong enough to hoist the carcasses. Because they are built for speed they are not nearly as muscular and powerful as leopards. Sometimes we see a cheetah that is able to scramble up a tree but they are not nearly as proficient in climbing as a leopard. I hope that clears things up for you. Many thanks, Amy
Thanks for clearing that up Amy. I really appreciate you taking the time to explain this for me.