Editing Cheetah (section)

===Home ranges and territories===
Unlike many other felids, among cheetahs, females tend to occupy larger areas compared to males.<ref name=nowak/> Females typically disperse over large areas in pursuit of prey, but they are less nomadic and roam in a smaller area if prey availability in the area is high. As such, the size of their home range depends on the distribution of prey in a region. In central Namibia, where most prey species are sparsely distributed, home ranges average {{cvt|554|–|7063|sqkm}}, whereas in the woodlands of the [[Phinda Game Reserve]] (South Africa), which have plentiful prey, home ranges are {{cvt|34|–|157|sqkm}} in size.<ref name=hunterwcw/> Cheetahs can travel long stretches overland in search of food; a study in the Kalahari Desert recorded an average displacement of nearly {{cvt|11|km}} every day and walking speeds ranged between {{cvt|2.5|and|3.8|km/h}}.<ref name=marker8/>

Males are generally less nomadic than females; often males in coalitions (and sometimes solitary males staying far from coalitions) establish territories.<ref name=wcw/><ref name=nowak/> Whether males settle in territories or disperse over large areas forming home ranges depends primarily on the movements of females. Territoriality is preferred only if females tend to be more sedentary, which is more feasible in areas with plenty of prey. Some males, called floaters, switch between territoriality and nomadism depending on the availability of females.<ref name=hunterwcw/> A 1987 study showed territoriality depended on the size and age of males and the membership of the coalition.<ref name="caro1987"/> The ranges of floaters averaged {{cvt|777|sqkm}} in the Serengeti to {{cvt|1464|sqkm}} in central Namibia. In the [[Kruger National Park]] (South Africa) territories were much smaller. A coalition of three males occupied a territory measuring {{cvt|126|sqkm}}, and the territory of a solitary male measured {{cvt|195|sqkm}}.<ref name=hunterwcw/> When a female enters a territory, the males will surround her; if she tries to escape, the males will bite or snap at her. Generally, the female can not escape on her own; the males themselves leave after they lose interest in her. They may smell the spot she was sitting or lying on to determine if she was in oestrus.<ref name=marker9/>