CHEETAH; THE CATS OF UGANDA – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

cheeterCheetah also known Acinonyx jubatus is a member of the big cat family that thrive in the south and east of Africa including Uganda where they are explored on wildlife safaris in Uganda and some parts of the destination Iran.
Cheetah is recorded to be the only living member of Acinonyx genus and is recorded to have first been detailed in 1775 by Christian Daniel Von Schreber. It is marked by slender body, spotted coat, deep chest, rounded small head, long spotted tail, long thin legs while its face is marked by tear-like streaks as viewed on Uganda Safaris and tours.
The Cheetah is a bit light and slender which differs greatly with the construct of other big cats. It stretches to 70 – 90cm at the shoulder height along with a weight of 21 – 72kg and though it is noted to be taller than the leopard, it is considerably smaller than the Lion of which the later two are members of the Big five and among the most after species by travellers on Safaris to Uganda.
With its coat marked by over 2,000 solid black spots, the Cheetah is active during the day doing great deal of hunting. The mature male cheetahs tend to be social though territorial living in groups called Coalitions while the females are not territorial and can live solitary life or thrive with their off springs in home ranges.
Regarding the diet, the Cheetahs are carnivores and prey majorly on gazelles and antelopes. They are noted to track their prey to a range of 100 – 300m from which they run fast to attack it and would kill it by tripping during the chase before biting its throat to suffocate to death. Being the fastest land animal, the cheetah can run an averagely 64km/h while hunting.
Cheetahs are known to breed throughout the year and their gestation period takes close to three (3) months after which 3 – 5 cubs are produced.  At 6 months, the cubs are weaned but they tend to keep together for some time.
The Cheetahs majorly thrive in dry forests, savannahs and scrub forests. In Uganda, the Cheetah can be found in the Uganda Wildlife Safari tour destination of Kidepo Valley National Park to the north east of the country.
Regarding the conservation status, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list records them as Vulnerable for their population has greatly reduced as a result of hunting.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WHERE CAN YOU FIND & SEE GORILLAS IN UGANDA AFRICA?

Image
Uganda has only two national parks where one can see gorillas i.e Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and this is where g orilla trekking in Uganda is done to search and find  the rear endangered Mountain Gorillas . With about 1063 mountain gorillas that still exist on earth today, Uganda is home to more than half of all these endangered Great Apes making it one of the only 3 countries in the world where mountain gorillas live and Uganda gorilla tours are only done in there two national parks. Uganda has 20 gorilla families that have been habituated and already set for tourism purposes , 19 of which are tracked/found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and only 1 is found in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one  of the places where you can see Gorillas in Uganda Africa. The appropriately named Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (also called “The Place of Darkness”) is the world’s premier gorilla t
Read more

Mountain Gorilla Behavior,Diet,Threats and Predators

http://www.primeugandasafaris.com/gorilla-safaris/5-days-uganda-gorilla-safari.html Behavior  Although strong and powerful, gorillas are generally gentle,shy ,retiring rather than ferocious and treacherous . They live in groups of 2-40 individuals, averaging about 11. Groups are led by a dominant male, the Silverback, named for the silvery gray hairs that grow when the male matures. The Silverback serves as the chief leader and protector of the group, to whom all group members defer. He decides when and where to go, rest and sleep, arbitrates disputes among his family members and protects them from rival Silverbacks or human predators. Gorillas usually seeks no trouble but will valiantly defend its family group if threatened. An adult male called a silverback named for the silvery gray hairs on its back normally leads each group, serving as its chief protector and defender. Gorillas
Read more

SHELLEY’S CRIMSONWING; THE BIRDS OF UGANDA – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

Image
With over 1057 species of birds, the birding safaris and tours in Uganda go beyond the ordinary. Among these species of birds, there is the eye catching Shelley’s Crimsonwing scientifically referred as Cryptospiza Shelleyi. The Shelley’s Crimsonwing is categorized among the estrildid finch species thrives in closed canopy moist forests, close to water valley bottoms, low secondary growth at the edges of forests, glades and forest clearings marked by extensive herbs, moorland and Bamboo thickets. The birders on Uganda safaris can explore the Shelley Crimsonwing in the Mountains of the Albertine rift valley including Rwenzori Mountains. This Species stretch to other famous parts in the region including the Virunga Mountains, the Kahuzi Biega Mountain, Itombwe Mountain as explored on Congo Safaris and tours and Nyungwe Forest National Park and Gishwati Mukura National Park as explored on Safaris in Rwanda . Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to the south west of Uganda is
Read more