It’s common knowledge that the cheetah is the world’s fastest land mammal. However, to fully appreciate what this means, they’re best viewed hunting in open terrain.
Luke Street submitted this amazing footage to Latest Sightings. He filmed it while on safari in East Africa.
Family time
Luke’s experience began with a distant sighting of a cheetah family. A mother and her cubs rest on the open grasslands.
While her cubs play, their mother remains on the alert. She is on the lookout for both threats and the next meal to feed her growing family.
Stay put, momma’s gone a-hunting
Subsequently, we see that the mother has left her cubs to go hunt. Wisely, she uses the undulating terrain to hide her movements from prying eyes.
Despite her legendary speed, cheetahs have limited endurance. Accordingly, she must get as close as possible to potential prey before launching her attack.
Since her cubs are too young to hide, she leaves them hidden. Hopefully, they will be safe from predators in her absence.
And we’re off
Suddenly, she breaks into a run. Her acceleration is blindingly fast, taking her from 0 to over 100 km/h in around 2 seconds.
At that speed, she covers up to ten metres in a single stride. Her body has evolved for speed, sacrificing bulk for agility, and brute strength for pace.
As she advances, she raises her head to orient herself towards her as-yet-unseen target. Hunting alone on the East African plains, the bulk of her prey is small to medium-sized antelope.
Prey comes into view
As the camera tracks her across the grasslands, her target species finally comes into view. She is rapidly closing in on a herd of Thomson’s gazelles.
Nicknamed “Tommie’s”, these small antelopes are common across the region. To evade predators, they rely on herd vigilance and a jinking, high-speed run. But will it be enough to escape the approaching cheetah?
Bizarrely, at one point, one of the Tommies appears to be chasing the cheetah… Unsurprisingly, it is soon left in the cat’s dust.
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Built for speed
As the chase progresses, we see her purpose-built body in action. Her spine is highly flexible, and, combined with long, powerful legs, the reason for the huge stride length.
Additionally, her paws are semi-rigid for stability, while semi-retractable claws add grip over varying terrain.
Locking on
As the herd splinters, she needs to choose her target soon. Cheetahs seldom run for more than 400 metres, so she must ensure every stride counts.
Consequently, when one of the gazelles veers from the herd, she makes her decision. By isolating itself, the Tommie has put itself in her crosshairs.
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Turn and burn
The smaller antelope can run a tighter arc than its pursuer. However, the cheetah is also equipped for high-speed turns.
As she digs her claws into the soil for traction, her long tail acts as a counter-balance. However, she’s lost some ground, and it remains to be seen if she can make it up.
Now or never
At this point, the cat’s endurance is probably nearing its limit. As such, if she is to succeed, she must give it all she has.
Incredibly, she finds the energy to accelerate out of the turn. Subsequently, with every stride she gains on the flagging antelope.
In seconds, she is right on its heels. Then, just as the chase hits the twenty-second mark, she trips her prey, sending it crashing to the ground before her.
Instantly, she pins it to the ground, clamping its windpipe in her jaws. After such exertion, the antelope will soon lose consciousness and die.
Exhausted, the cheetah must now rest while her prey dies. Then, she will summon her cubs for a vital meal, hopefully before the scavengers arrive.