Editing Cheetah (section)

===Diet and hunting===
{{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical |image1=Cheetah chasing Thompsons gazelle crop.jpg |caption1=A cheetah in pursuit of a [[Thomson's gazelle]] |image2=Cheetah with impala.jpg |caption2=A cheetah strangling an [[impala]] by a throat bite |image3=Dinner for all.jpg |caption3=A group of cheetahs feeding on a kill | image4=A Nighttime Cheetah Kill.jpg |caption4=A cheetah feeding at night in Skukuza, Kruger National Park, South Africa}}

The cheetah is a carnivore that hunts small to medium-sized prey weighing {{cvt|20|to|60|kg}}, but mostly less than {{cvt|40|kg}}. Its primary prey are medium-sized ungulates. They are the major component of the diet in certain areas, such as [[Dama gazelle|Dama]] and [[Dorcas gazelle|Dorcas]] gazelles in the Sahara, [[impala]] in the eastern and southern African woodlands, springbok in the arid [[savanna]]s to the south and [[Thomson's gazelle]] in the Serengeti. Smaller antelopes like the [[common duiker]] are frequent prey in the southern Kalahari. Larger ungulates are typically avoided, though [[nyala]], whose males weigh around {{cvt|120|kg}}, were found to be the major prey in a study in the Phinda Game Reserve. In Namibia cheetahs are the major predators of livestock.<ref name=skinner/><ref name=wcw/><ref name="Hayward06">{{cite journal |author1=Hayward, M. W. |author2=Hofmeyr, M. |author3=O'Brien, S. J. |author4=Kerley, G. I. H. |title=Prey preferences of the cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') (Felidae: Carnivora): morphological limitations or the need to capture rapidly consumable prey before kleptoparasites arrive? |journal=Journal of Zoology |year=2006 |volume=270 |issue=4 |pages=615–627 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00184.x |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> The diet of the Asiatic cheetah consists of [[chinkara]], [[desert hare]], [[goitered gazelle]], [[urial]], [[wild goat]]s, and livestock; in India cheetahs used to prey mostly on [[blackbuck]].<ref name=hunterwcw/><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Farhadinia, M. S. |author2=Hosseini-Zavarei, F. |author3=Nezami, B. |author4=Harati, H. |author5=Absalan, H. |author6=Fabiano, E. |author7=Marker, L. |name-list-style=amp |title=Feeding ecology of the Asiatic cheetah ''Acinonyx jubatus venaticus'' in low prey habitats in northeastern Iran: Implications for effective conservation |journal=[[Journal of Arid Environments]] |year=2012 |volume=87 |pages=206–211 |doi=10.1016/j.jaridenv.2012.05.002 |bibcode=2012JArEn..87..206F |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256941642 |access-date=13 October 2018 |archive-date=5 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240505152115/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256941642_Feeding_ecology_of_the_Asiatic_cheetah_Acinonyx_jubatus_venaticus_in_low_prey_habitats_in_northeastern_Iran_Implications_for_effective_conservation |url-status=live}}</ref>

Prey preferences and hunting success vary with the age, sex and number of cheetahs involved in the hunt and on the vigilance of the prey. Generally, only groups of cheetahs (coalitions or mother and cubs) will try to kill larger prey; mothers with cubs especially look out for larger prey and tend to be more successful than females without cubs. Individuals on the periphery of the prey herd are common targets; vigilant prey which would react quickly on seeing the cheetah are not preferred.<ref name=Geptner1972>{{cite book |author1=Heptner, V. G. |author2=Sludskii, A. A. |year=1992 |title=Mammals of the Soviet Union. Volume II, Part 2. Carnivora (Hyaenas and Cats) |name-list-style=amp |publisher=Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation |location=Washington D.C. |chapter=Genus of cheetah, or ''Pardus'' |pages=696–733 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/mammalsofsov221992gept#page/696/mode/2up}}</ref><ref name=wcw/><ref name=Qumsiyeh1996>{{cite book |author=Qumsiyeh, M. B. |year=1996 |title=Mammals of the Holy Land |publisher=[[Texas Tech University Press]] |location=Lubbock |isbn=978-0-89672-364-1 |chapter=Genus ''Acinonyx'' cheetah |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Amr2oLxnR10C&pg=PA157 |pages=157–159 |access-date=20 December 2019 |archive-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307222447/https://books.google.com/books?id=Amr2oLxnR10C&pg=PA157 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Cheetahs are one of the most iconic [[pursuit predator]]s, hunting primarily throughout the day, sometimes with peaks at [[dawn]] and [[dusk]]; they tend to avoid larger predators like the primarily nocturnal lion.<ref name=hunterwcw/> Cheetahs in the Sahara and [[Maasai Mara]] in Kenya hunt after sunset to escape the high temperatures of the day.<ref name="hunt2">{{cite journal |author=Eaton, R. L. |title=Hunting behavior of the cheetah |journal=[[The Journal of Wildlife Management]] |year=1970 |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=56–67 |jstor=3799492 |doi=10.2307/3799492}}</ref> Cheetahs use their [[visual perception|vision]] to hunt instead of their sense of smell; they keep a lookout for prey from resting sites or low branches. The cheetah will stalk its prey, trying to conceal itself in cover, and approach as close as possible, often within {{cvt|60|to|70|m}} of the prey (or even closer for less alert prey). Alternatively the cheetah can lie hidden in cover and wait for the prey to come nearer. A stalking cheetah assumes a partially crouched posture, with the head lower than the shoulders; it will move slowly and be still at times. In areas of minimal cover, the cheetah will approach within {{cvt|200|m}} of the prey and start the chase. The chase typically lasts a minute; in a 2013 study, the length of chases averaged {{cvt|173|m}}, and the longest run measured {{cvt|559|m}}. The cheetah can give up the chase if it is detected by the prey early or if it cannot make a kill quickly. Being lightly built, cheetahs lack the raw strength to tackle down the prey, and instead catch the prey by performing a kind of [[foot sweep]] by hitting the prey's leg or rump with the forepaw or using the strong dewclaw to knock the prey off its balance. Such a fall during a high-speed chase may cause the prey to collapse hard enough to break some of its limbs,<ref name=wcw/><ref name=Estes/> and allow the cheetah to then pounce on the fallen and vulnerable prey.

Cheetahs can decelerate dramatically towards the end of the hunt, slowing down from {{cvt|36|mph|order=flip}} to {{cvt|9|mph|order=flip}} in just three strides, and can easily follow any twists and turns the prey makes as it tries to flee.<ref name=hunterwcw/> To kill medium- to large-sized prey, the cheetah [[throat clamp|bites the prey's throat]] to [[strangle]] it, maintaining the bite for around five minutes, within which the prey succumbs to [[asphyxiation]] and stops struggling. A bite on the nape of the neck or the snout (and sometimes on the skull) suffices to kill smaller prey.<ref name=wcw/><ref name=Estes/> Cheetahs have an average hunting success rate of 25–40%, higher for smaller and more vulnerable prey.<ref name=hunterwcw/><ref name="O'Brien"/>

Once the hunt is over, the prey is taken near a bush or under a tree; the cheetah, highly exhausted after the chase, rests beside the kill and pants heavily for five to 55 minutes. Meanwhile, cheetahs nearby, who did not take part in the hunt, might feed on the kill immediately. Groups of cheetah consume the kill peacefully, though minor noises and snapping may be observed.<ref name=wcw/> Cheetahs can consume large quantities of food; a cheetah at the [[Etosha National Park]] (Namibia) was found to consume as much as {{cvt|10|kg}} within two hours.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Phillips, J. A. |title=Bone consumption by cheetahs at undisturbed kills: evidence for a lack of focal-palatine erosion |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |year=1993 |volume=74 |issue=2 |pages=487–492 |doi=10.2307/1382408 |jstor=1382408}}</ref> However, on a daily basis, a cheetah feeds on around {{cvt|4|kg}} of meat.<ref name=Estes/> Cheetahs, especially mothers with cubs, remain cautious even as they eat, pausing to look around for vultures and predators who may steal the kill.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Caro, T. M. |title=Cheetah mothers' vigilance: looking out for prey or for predators? |journal=[[Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology]] |year=1987 |volume=20 |issue=5 |jstor=4600031 |doi=10.1007/BF00300681 |pages=351–361 |bibcode=1987BEcoS..20..351C |hdl=2027.42/46879 |s2cid=8951050 |url=https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46879/1/265_2004_Article_BF00300681.pdf |hdl-access=free |access-date=28 August 2019 |archive-date=5 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240505151246/https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46879/1/265_2004_Article_BF00300681.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

Cheetahs move their heads from side to side so the sharp carnassial teeth tear the flesh, which can then be swallowed without chewing. They typically begin with the hindquarters where the tissue is the softest, and then progress toward the abdomen and the spine. Ribs are chewed on at the ends, and the limbs are not generally torn apart while eating. Unless the prey is very small, the skeleton is left almost intact after feeding on the meat. Cheetahs might lose up 13–14% of their kills to larger and stronger carnivores.<ref name="Schaller-1972">{{Cite book |last=Schaller |first=G. B. |url=http://archive.org/details/serengetilion00geor |title=The Serengeti lion: A study of predator-prey relations |date=1972 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-73640-2 |pages=298, 317, 320, 385, 386, 458}}</ref> To defend itself or its prey, a cheetah will hold its body low to the ground and snarl with its mouth wide open, the eyes staring threateningly ahead and the ears folded backward. This may be accompanied by moans, hisses and growls, and hitting the ground with the forepaws.<ref name=Estes/> Although uncommon, cases of wild cheetahs [[scavenger|scavenging]] [[Carrion|carcasses]] that not hunt themselves have been observed; even one case of a cheetah stealing a spotted hyena kill is known. Causes of this scavenging behavior are unclear.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Houston, D. C. |title=Food searching in griffon vultures |journal=African Journal of Ecology |year=1974 |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=63–77 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2028.1974.tb00107.x |bibcode=1974AfJEc..12...63H}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Overton |first1=E. K. |last2=Davis |first2=R. S. |last3=Prugnolle |first3=F. |last4=Rougeron |first4=V. |last5=Honiball |first5=T. L. |last6=Sievert |first6=O. |last7=Venter |first7=J. A. |date=2025 |title=Carrion in Bomas: Multiple Observations of Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) Scavenging Events and Potential Causes in Managed Populations |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387837289 |journal=Ecology and Evolution |language=en |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=e70776 |doi=10.1002/ece3.70776 |issn=2045-7758 |pmc=11711217 |pmid=39790728|bibcode=2025EcoEv..1570776O }}</ref>

Cheetahs appear to have a comparatively higher hunting success rate than other predators.<ref name=wcw/> Their success rate for hunting Thomson gazelles is 70%, whereas the success rate of African wild dogs is 57%, of spotted hyenas 33%, and of lions 26%.<ref name=Schaller-1972/> Their success rate for hunting impalas is 26%, but of African wild dogs only 15.5%.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Hubel |first1=T. Y. |last2=Myatt |first2=J. P. |last3=Jordan |first3=N. R. |last4=Dewhirst |first4=O. P. |last5=McNutt |first5=J. W. |last6=Wilson |first6=A. M. |date=2016 |title=Energy cost and return for hunting in African wild dogs and cheetahs |journal=Nature Communications |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=11034 |doi=10.1038/ncomms11034 |pmc=4820543 |pmid=27023457|bibcode=2016NatCo...711034H}}</ref>