The Life of Cheetahs

The cheetah is the world's fastest land mammal, an iconic creature with the amazing ability to accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in only three seconds. It takes an enormous amount of energy to produce this kind of speed and it can only be maintained for a very brief period of time. To save energy before unleashing their speed, cheetahs have evolved exceptionally keen eyesight to scan their grassland environment for signs of prey such as antelope and hares. It is the oldest of the African big cats their fascinating evolution can be traced back more than three million years. Sadly, the cheetah populations are in decline with great pressure brought on primarily from changing habitat and human conflicts. Fortunately there is a ray of hope for the cheetah and her name is Dr. Laurie Marker.

SpeakerL Dr. Laurie Marker, Cheetah Conservatioin Fund