The cheetah lives inAfrica and theMiddle East. Its long legs and flexible spinemake it a fast sprinter, but it does not have the brute strength of other big cats.Therefore it prefers to hunt prey less heavy than itself.
Cheetahs catch animals in a different way than other big cats. They usually hunt during the day and chase after their victim. They will stalk until they are within about seventy yards of their prey and then sprint at breakneck speed. The cheetah’s supple spine lets it take running strides of up to twenty-three feet. Its heart, lungs, and breathing passages are extra large, to help power it to around sixty-five miles per hour.
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