Hug This Animal: Cheetah

I have to admit to being a bit afraid each time I pass by the cheetah exhibit at my local zoo. The tigers, lions, leopards, cougars — none of them scare me quite like the cheetah. That’s my local cheetah below, looking all sleek and camouflaged. (I snapped the first photo below a couple of weeks ago.) I’m not complaining though. Predators are important. Keep reading.
Cheetahs are sprinters, with unique bodies optimized to run very fast for short distances. They can catch prey that escapes the other big cats. Considered the world’s fastest land mammal, cheetahs run at speeds up …read more