Editing Cheetah (section)

===Reproduction and life cycle===
{{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical |image1=Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) cub.jpg|caption1=Cheetah cub hiding in long grass|width1=Cheetah cub lying in the grass |image2=A little cheetah lying on his mom A.jpg |caption2=Cub with mother |width2=A young cheetah cub lying on its mother |image3=Cheetah Twins Playing (10817164135).jpg|caption3=Two older cubs playing|alt3=A cheetah cub playfully pouncing on another cub}}

The cheetah breeds throughout the year; females are [[polyestrous]] and [[Induced ovulation (animals)|induced ovulators]] with an [[estrous cycle]] of 12&nbsp;days on average that can vary from three days to a month. They have their first litter at two to three years of age and can conceive again after 17 to 20 months from giving birth, or even sooner if a whole litter is lost. Males can breed at less than two years of age in captivity, but this may be delayed in the wild until the male acquires a territory.<ref name=marker9/> A 2007 study showed that females who gave birth to more litters early in their life often died younger, indicating a trade-off between longevity and yearly reproductive success.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pettorelli |first1=N. |last2=Durant |first2=S. M. |title=Family effects on early survival and variance in long-term reproductive success of female cheetahs |journal=Journal of Animal Ecology |date=2007 |volume=76 |issue=5 |pages=908–914 |name-list-style=amp |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2656.2007.01266.x |pmid=17714269 |bibcode=2007JAnEc..76..908P}}</ref>

Urine-marking in males can become more pronounced when a female in their vicinity comes into estrus. Males, sometimes even those in coalitions, fight among one another to secure access to the female.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Caro |first1=T. M. |title=Behavioral solutions to breeding cheetahs in captivity: insights from the wild |journal=[[Zoo Biology]] |year=1993 |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=19–30 |doi=10.1002/zoo.1430120105}}</ref> Often one male will eventually win [[Dominance (ethology)|dominance]] over the others and mate with the female, though a female can mate with different males.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gottelli |first1=D. |author2=Wang, J. |author3=Bashir, S. |author4=Durant, S. M. |name-list-style=amp |year=2007 |title=Genetic analysis reveals promiscuity among female cheetahs |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society of London |series=B: Biological Sciences |volume=274 |issue=1621 |pages=1993–2001 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2007.0502 |pmid=17535795 |pmc=2275179}}</ref> Mating begins with the male approaching the female, who lies down on the ground; individuals often chirp, purr or yelp at this time. No courtship behaviour is observed; the male immediately secures hold of the female's nape, and copulation takes place. The pair then ignore each other, but meet and copulate a few more times three to five times a day for the next two to three days before finally parting ways.<ref name=mammal/><ref name=Estes/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tong |first1=J. R. |title=Breeding cheetahs, ''Acinonyx jubatus'', at the Beekse Bergen Safari Park |journal=[[International Zoo Yearbook]] |year=1974 |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=129–130 |doi=10.1111/j.1748-1090.1974.tb00795.x}}</ref>

After a [[gestation]] of nearly three months, a litter of one to eight cubs is born (though those of three to four cubs are more common). Births take place at 20–25 minute intervals in a sheltered place such as thick vegetation. The eyes are shut at birth, and open in four to 11 days. Newborn cubs might spit a lot and make soft churring noises; they start walking by two weeks. Their nape, shoulders and back are thickly covered with long bluish-grey hair, called a mantle, which gives them a [[Mohawk hairstyle|mohawk-type]] appearance; this fur is shed as the cheetah grows older.<ref name=Estes/><ref name="caro1994">{{cite book |last1=Caro |first1=T. M. |author-link=Tim Caro |title=Cheetahs of the Serengeti Plains: Group Living in an Asocial Species |year=1994 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |isbn=978-0-226-09434-2 |pages=15–48 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hcZCubO01bEC&pg=PA15 |chapter=Serengeti, and the taxonomy and natural history of cheetahs |access-date=24 April 2020 |archive-date=28 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328013124/https://books.google.com/books?id=hcZCubO01bEC&pg=PA15 |url-status=live}}</ref> A study suggested that this mane gives a cheetah cub the appearance of a [[honey badger]], and could act as camouflage from attacks by these badgers or predators that tend to avoid them.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Eaton |first1=R. L. |title=A possible case of mimicry in larger mammals |journal=[[Evolution (journal)|Evolution]] |year=1976 |volume=30 |issue=4 |pages=853–856 |jstor=2407827 |url=http://www.catsg.org/cheetah/05_library/5_3_publications/E/Eaton_1976_A_Possible_Case_of_Mimicry_in_Larger_Mammals.pdf |doi=10.2307/2407827 |pmid=28563327 |access-date=15 April 2016 |archive-date=24 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924070215/http://www.catsg.org/cheetah/05_library/5_3_publications/E/Eaton_1976_A_Possible_Case_of_Mimicry_in_Larger_Mammals.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

Compared to other felids, cheetah cubs are highly vulnerable to several predators during the first few weeks of their life.<ref name="laurenson2">{{cite journal |last1=Laurenson |first1=M. K. |title=Implications of high offspring mortality for cheetah population dynamics |journal=Research, Conservation and Management of an Ecosystem (Chicago) |year=1995 |pages=1–18 |url=http://www.catsg.org/cheetah/05_library/5_3_publications/L/Laurenson_-_Implications_of_high_offspring_mortality_for_cheetah_population_dynamics.pdf |access-date = 24 March 2016 |archive-date = 10 August 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160810125414/http://www.catsg.org/cheetah/05_library/5_3_publications/L/Laurenson_-_Implications_of_high_offspring_mortality_for_cheetah_population_dynamics.pdf |url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mills |first1=M. G. L. |last2=Mills |first2=M. E. J. |title=Cheetah cub survival revisited: a re-evaluation of the role of predation, especially by lions, and implications for conservation |journal=Journal of Zoology |year=2014 |volume=292 |issue=2 |pages=136–141 |doi=10.1111/jzo.12087 |name-list-style=amp |doi-access = free}}</ref> Mothers keep their cubs hidden in dense vegetation for the first two months and nurse in the early morning. The mother is extremely vigilant at this stage; she stays within {{convert|1|km|mi|abbr=on}} of the lair, frequently visits her cubs, moves them every five to six days, and remains with them after dark. Despite trying to make minimal noise, she cannot generally defend her litter from predators. Predation is the leading cause of mortality in cheetah cubs; a study showed that in areas with a low density of predators (such as Namibian farmlands) around 70% of the cubs make it beyond the age of 14 months, whereas in areas like the Serengeti National Park, where several large carnivores exist, the survival rate was just 17%. Deaths also occur from starvation if their mothers abandon them, fires, or pneumonia because of exposure to bad weather.<ref name=Estes/><ref name=marker9/> [[Generation time|Generation length]] of the cheetah is six years.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Generation length for mammals |author1=Pacifici, M. |author2=Santini, L. |author3=Di Marco, M. |author4=Baisero, D. |author5=Francucci, L. |author6=Marasini, G. |author7=Visconti, P. |author8=Rondinini, C. |journal=[[Nature Conservation]] |year=2013 |issue=5 |pages=87–94 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref>

Cubs start coming out of the lair at two months of age, trailing after their mother wherever she goes. At this point the mother nurses less and brings solid food to the cubs; they retreat away from the carcass in fear initially, but gradually start eating it. The cubs might purr as the mother licks them clean after the meal. Weaning occurs at four to six months. To train her cubs in hunting, the mother will catch and let go of live prey in front of her cubs.<ref name=marker9/> Cubs' play behaviour includes chasing, crouching, pouncing and wrestling; there is plenty of agility, and attacks are seldom lethal.<ref name=Estes/><ref name=marker9/> Playing can improve catching skills in cubs, though the ability to crouch and hide may not develop remarkably.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Caro |first1=T. M. |title=Short-term costs and correlates of play in cheetahs |journal=Animal Behaviour |year=1995 |volume=49 |issue=2 |pages=333–345 |doi=10.1006/anbe.1995.9999 |bibcode=1995AnBeh..49..333C |url=http://www.catsg.org/cheetah/05_library/5_3_publications/C/Caro_1995_Short_term_costs_and_corelates_of%20play_in_cheetah.pdf |citeseerx=10.1.1.472.1699 |s2cid=8741799 |access-date = 26 March 2016 |archive-date = 18 August 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160818025024/http://www.catsg.org/cheetah/05_library/5_3_publications/C/Caro_1995_Short_term_costs_and_corelates_of%20play_in_cheetah.pdf |url-status = live}}</ref>

Cubs as young as six months try to capture small prey like hares and young gazelles. However, they may have to wait until as long as 15 months of age to make a successful kill on their own. At around 20 months, offspring become independent; mothers might have conceived again by then. Siblings may remain together for a few more months before parting ways. While females stay close to their mothers, males move farther off.<ref name=Estes/><ref name=marker9/><ref name="Kelly, M. J. 1998">{{cite journal |last1=Kelly |first1=M. J. |author2=Laurenson, M. K. |author3=Fitz-Gibbon, C. D. |author4=Collins, D. A. |author5=S. M. |author6=Frame, G. W. |author7=Bertram, B.C. |author8=Caro, T. M. |title=Demography of the Serengeti cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') population: the first 25 years |journal=Journal of Zoology |year=1998 |volume=244 |issue=4 |pages=473–88 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1998.tb00053.x |url=http://www.mjkelly.info/Publications/demography.pdf |name-list-style=amp |access-date=25 March 2016 |archive-date=1 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110401120639/http://www.mjkelly.info/Publications/demography.pdf}}</ref> The lifespan of wild cheetahs is 14 to 15 years for females, and their reproductive cycle typically ends by 12 years of age; males generally live as long as ten years.<ref name=iucn />