Cheetah have a compelling aura of great speed.
Although smaller than the lion and the leopard they still capture the potency characteristic of big cats, allied with the versatility and grace of the smaller cats. They may be clumsy climbers but at full tilt across open ground they are agile and lightning fast! The list of attributes that contribute to this blistering, turbocharged ability is a long one. The cheetah is essentially a cat with a greyhound chassis, non-retractible claws for extra traction, a flexible spine and a long tail that acts as a counter-steering rudder. All this allows them to attain a top speed of anywhere between 100 and 110kph (depending on what you read) and leap a full eight meters in a single stride. This evolutionary arsenal of high-speed skills places the cheetah truly in a league of its own.
The cheetah population over the greater Kruger National Park, however, is estimated to be around two hundred cheetah, which is not a lot in the greater scheme of things. Ever in competition with a high density of larger competitors, this delicately built carnivore often has a hard time holding its own. In order to survive they basically have to run fast, kill fast and eat fast before the commotion of the hunt can draw the attention of a passing competitor. We recently witnessed two cheetahs in action and I was able to snap a few photographs of the sighting:
Early on a cool Sunday morning we were elated to find two young cheetahs walking down the road towards us. Based on their behaviour they had but one thing on their agenda: food.
The Combretum and Acacia bushveld that covers most of Londolozi is ill-suited to the fleet-footed cheetah but there are patches of grassy Marula-Knobthorn savannah that make for prime hunting habitat. The cheetahs walked through one such clearing in search of prey.
I was unable to get a photo of the actual stalk owing to the Combretum thicket on the edge of the clearing and the fact that it all happened so quickly, but this image captures the last moment of hope for the unfortunate steenbuck antelope; a small animal whose sole survival strategy is to draw as little attention to itself as possible. It even goes so far as to bury its own dung! Note the cheetah’s tail straight up in the air as it reacts to the steenbuck’s quick change in direction.
This image captures the moment of truth.. the steenbuck realizes that the game over.
But one more stride from the steenbuck forces a full stretch from the cheetah…
In the blink of an eye, the cheetah catches its prey! Note the Land Rover in the top right corner. As is so often the case, timing is everything!
With the very real possibility of the hunter becoming the hunted, the female keeps a lookout while the male cheetah kills the steenbuck and muffles any sound of distress which could attract competitors.
The two cheetah walk off with their hard-earned kill. They moved into the shade of a nearby bush before settling down to eat. It was a rare sighting that became etched into the memories of the Londolozi guests lucky enough to see it!
Incredible sighting.
On our very first visit we were fortunate to follow a cheetah stealthily stalking an impala herd after hiding its 2 young cubs. Our guide, Trevor, had made a mad dash to get to the site–one of the craziest rides of all time. He informed us that what we might see was very unusual and unique–a first for him. We watched patiently when it became clear that the cheetah had identified its victim. The initial burst of speed was incredible to see. Even more incredible was the cheetah chasing the impala directly at our vehicle. I can still hear the sounds of the chase, including the squealing of the impala which was taken down less than 20 yards from our vehicle. (I dropped my camera because I could not keep up with the speed.) The cheetah then alerted its 2 cubs who arrived to learn how to finish the kill. While feasting on the impala, each of the 3 appeared to take turns as lookout while the other 2 ate.
Wonderful sighting! There is nothing like seeing a cheetah hunt and make a kill! They are lightning fast! Thanks for sharing this, Paul!
Paul, thanks for taking the time to focus in on the cheetahs who don’t seem to get a whole lot of attention. They are amazing creatures and I appreciate your focus in on the highlights of this awesome animal
A superb sighting, I must admit to a fondness for the very small antelope, such as the dik-dik
Will they share the meal and feed at the same time like lions, or do they take turns like leopards?
Talk about being in the right place at the right time! Nice images!
Paul, are the 2 cheetahs siblings? Or mother & son/daughter? Wonderful photos!
Wow, what an amazing encounter! So wish I’d been there to see these two beauties, although your narrative gave me the armchair experience.
Such an incredible sighting!!!
Great to have cheetah in the Londolozi reserve again
What an amazing sighting, Paul. Isn’t it unusual for a female to be hunting with a male? – presumably they would be siblings. Roughly how old do you think they are?
A really nice blog Paul and thank you for sharing with us. Right place at the right time. Nice for the guests to see these beautiful cats.
What an incredible siting! Everyone must have been so excited. Lucky you!