Editing Cheetah (section)

===Communication===
[[File:Acoustic-Structure-and-Contextual-Use-of-Calls-by-Captive-Male-and-Female-Cheetahs-(Acinonyx-pone.0158546.s001.oga|thumbnail|Calls of cheetahs: purr, hiss, growl, churr, meow, chirp, howl|alt=Recording of some vocalisations of cheetahs]]
{{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical
 |image1=Acinonyx jubatus -Southern Namibia-8.jpg |caption1=Male [[scent marking|marking his territory]] |alt1=A male cheetah standing with tail raised and marking a tree trunk with its urine
 |image2=Cheetah Brothers AdF.jpg |caption2=Cheetahs grooming each other |alt2=Two cheetahs licking each other
 |image3=Cheetah with cubs (7513556524).jpg|caption3=Mother signalling her cubs by her tail to follow her|alt3=A mother cheetah using her tail to signal her cubs to follow her
}}

The cheetah is a vocal felid with a broad repertoire of calls and sounds; the [[acoustics|acoustic]] features and the use of many of these have been studied in detail.<ref name="volodina">{{cite journal |last1=Volodina |first1=E. V. |title=Vocal repertoire of the cheetah ''Acinonyx jubatus'' (Carnivora, Felidae) in captivity: sound structure and their potential for estimating the state of adult animals |journal=[[Zoologicheskii Zhurnal]] |year=2000 |volume=79 |issue=7 |pages=833–843 |url=http://www.bioacoustica.org/publ/papers/305_Volodina_2000_ZJ_eng.pdf |access-date=14 March 2016 |archive-date=9 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309034930/http://www.bioacoustica.org/publ/papers/305_Volodina_2000_ZJ_eng.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The vocal characteristics, such as the way they are produced, are often different from those of other cats.<ref name="sh2003">{{cite journal |last1=Stoeger-Horwath |first1=A. S. |last2=Schwammer |first2=H. M. |name-list-style=amp |title=Vocalizations of juvenile cheetahs during feeding at Schoenbrunn Zoo |journal=International Zoo News |date=2003 |volume=50 |issue=8 |pages=468–474 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/239526486 |via=ResearchGate |access-date=21 April 2020 |archive-date=5 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240505152138/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/239526486_Vocalizations_of_Juvenile_Cheetahs_during_Feeding_at_Schoenbrunn_Zoo |url-status=live}}</ref> For instance, a study showed that exhalation is louder than inhalation in cheetahs, while no such distinction was observed in the [[domestic cat]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=Eklund, R. |author2=Peters, G. |author3=Duthie, E. D. |chapter=An acoustic analysis of purring in the cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') and in the domestic cat (''Felis catus'') |title=Proceedings from FONETIK 2010, Lund, June 2–4, 2010 |editor=Schötz, S. |editor2=Ambrazaitis, G. |publisher=Department of Linguistics and Phonetics, Lund University |oclc=666315644 |year=2010 |pages=17–22 |chapter-url=http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:539494/FULLTEXT01.pdf |name-list-style=amp |access-date=17 May 2016 |archive-date=22 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822004538/http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:539494/FULLTEXT01.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Eklund_al2012>{{cite book |last1=Eklund |first1=R. |author2=Peters, G. |author3=Weise, F. |author4=Munro, S. |chapter=A comparative acoustic analysis of purring in four cheetahs |title=Proceedings from FONETIK 2012 |editor=Abelin, Å. |editor2=Eriksson, A. |isbn=978-91-637-0985-2 |publisher=[[University of Gothenburg]] |location=Gothenburg |year=2012 |pages=41–44 |chapter-url=http://www.ida.liu.se/~robek28/pdf/Eklund_et_al_2012_Cheetah_Purring.pdf |name-list-style=amp |access-date=14 March 2024 |archive-date=20 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420185335/https://www.ida.liu.se/~robek28/pdf/Eklund_et_al_2012_Cheetah_Purring.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Listed below are some commonly recorded vocalisations observed in cheetahs:

* Chirping: A chirp (or a "stutter-bark") is an intense bird-like call and lasts less than a second. Cheetahs chirp when they are excited, for instance, when gathered around a kill. Other uses include summoning concealed or lost cubs by the mother, or as a greeting or courtship between adults.<ref name=sh2003/> The cheetah's chirp is similar to the soft roar of the lion, and its churr as the latter's loud roar.<ref name=volodina/> A similar but louder call ('yelp') can be heard from up to {{convert|2|km|mi|abbr=on}} away; this call is typically used by mothers to locate lost cubs, or by cubs to find their mothers and siblings.<ref name=wcw/><ref name="kingdon">{{cite book |last1=Kingdon |first1=J. |author-link=Jonathan Kingdon |title=The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals |chapter=Cheetah ''Acinonyx jubatus'' |year=2015 |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]] |location=London |isbn=978-1-4729-1236-7 |pages=403–404 |edition=2nd |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gcrBDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT975 |access-date=20 December 2019 |archive-date=28 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328013820/https://books.google.com/books?id=gcrBDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT975 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* Churring (or churtling): A churr is a shrill, staccato call that can last up to two seconds. Churring and chirping have been noted for their similarity to the soft and loud roars of the lion. It is produced in similar context as chirping, but a study of feeding cheetahs found chirping to be much more common.<ref name=Estes/><ref name=sh2003/>
* Purring: Similar to purring in domestic cats but much louder, it is produced when the cheetah is content, and as a form of greeting or when licking one another.<ref name=wcw/><ref name=sh2003/> It involves continuous sound production alternating between [[Egressive sound|egressive]] and [[Ingressive sound|ingressive]] airstreams.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Eklund |first1=R. |last2=Peters |first2=G. |chapter-url=http://www.ida.liu.se/~robek28/pdf/Eklund_Peters_2013_Cheetah_Purring.pdf |chapter=A comparative acoustic analysis of purring in juvenile, subadult and adult cheetahs |title=Proceedings of FONETIK 2013 12–13 June 2013 |year=2013 |pages=25–28 |editor=Eklund, A. |publisher=Department of Culture and Communication, Linköping University |location=Linköping |isbn=9789175195797 |name-list-style=amp |access-date=14 March 2024 |archive-date=13 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240413024608/https://www.ida.liu.se/~robek28/pdf/Eklund_Peters_2013_Cheetah_Purring.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>
* Agonistic sounds: These include bleating, coughing, growling, hissing, meowing and moaning (or yowling). A bleat indicates distress, for instance when a cheetah confronts a predator that has stolen its kill. Growls, hisses and moans are accompanied by multiple, strong hits on the ground with the front paw, during which the cheetah may retreat by a few metres.<ref name=volodina/><ref name=sh2003/><ref name=bare_url>{{cite book |last1=Eklund |first1=R. |author2=Peters, G. |author3=Weise, F. |author4=Munro, S. |chapter=An acoustic analysis of agonistic sounds in wild cheetahs |title=Proceedings from FONETIK 2012 |editor=Abelin, Å. |editor2=Eriksson, A. |isbn=978-91-637-0985-2 |publisher=University of Gothenburg |location=Gothenburg |year=2012 |pages=37–40 |chapter-url=http://www.ida.liu.se/~robek28/pdf/Eklund_et_al_2012_Cheetah_AgonisticVocalizations.pdf |name-list-style=amp |access-date=26 November 2015 |archive-date=8 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208014616/http://www.ida.liu.se/~robek28/pdf/Eklund_et_al_2012_Cheetah_AgonisticVocalizations.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> A meow, though a versatile call, is typically associated with discomfort or irritation.<ref name=volodina/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Smirnova |first1=D. S. |last2=Volodin |first2=I. A. |last3=Demina |first3=T. S. |last4=Volodina |first4=E. V. |last5=Pavan |first5=G. |title=Acoustic structure and contextual use of calls by captive male and female cheetahs (''Acinonyx jubatus'') |journal=PLOS ONE |date=2016 |volume=11 |issue=6 |pages=e0158546 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0158546 |pmc=4928801 |pmid=27362643 |bibcode=2016PLoSO..1158546S |name-list-style=amp|doi-access=free}}</ref>
* Other vocalisations: Individuals can make a gurgling noise as part of a close, amicable interaction.<ref name=wcw/> A "nyam nyam" sound may be produced while eating. Apart from chirping, mothers can use a repeated "ihn ihn" is to gather cubs, and a "prr prr" is to guide them on a journey. A low-pitched alarm call is used to warn the cubs to stand still. Bickering cubs can let out a "whirr"—the pitch rises with the intensity of the quarrel and ends on a harsh note.<ref name=Estes/><ref name=sh2003/>

Another major means of communication is by [[olfactory communication|scent]]—the male will often raise his tail and [[scent marking|spray urine]] on elevated landmarks such as a tree trunks, stumps or rocks; other cheetahs will sniff these landmarks and repeat the ritual. Females may also show marking behaviour but less prominently than males do. Females in oestrus will show maximum urine-marking, and their excrement can attract males from far off. In Botswana, cheetahs are frequently captured by ranchers to protect livestock by setting up traps in traditional marking spots; the calls of the trapped cheetah can attract more cheetahs to the place.<ref name=Estes/><ref name=nowak/>

Touch and visual cues are other ways of signalling in cheetahs. Social meetings involve mutual sniffing of the mouth, anus and genitals. Individuals will groom one another, lick each other's faces and rub cheeks. However, they seldom lean on or rub their flanks against each other. The tear streaks on the face can sharply define expressions at close range. Mothers probably use the alternate light and dark rings on the tail to signal their cubs to follow them.<ref name=Estes/>