JaeLeaheShuhe
New member
Then why didn't the Cheetah mothers featured on Big Cat Diaries lose all their cubs? I question your claim based on what ive seen. Animal Planet doesn't show BCD as much anymore. Too bad, i loved that show.
The Big Cat Thread
- Thread starter pragapuns
- Start date
One of the biggest problems for cheetahs is that other animals steal their food, whether it is individual male lions, leopards, hyenas or wild dogs. They might not be as fast as the chetah, but they also aren't as strong and so can't defend their food, or drag it up a tree like a leopard. So they might have a good catch rate, but they use up a lot of energy sprinting and if they can't eat their food then thats a lot of energy they loose.
Big Cat Diaries is filmed on a national park in Africa. While the animals are largely left to their own devices. If there are too many animals in one place, they're moved. There's some protection from poachers in the form of wardens and there are conservation efforts in place. The cheetah there only survive because people have created the right conditions for them to survive.
Tourism funds the park. So it's vital the animals people expect to see are around. In fact I'm fairly sure the presenters have even said as much on the show.
Tourism funds the park. So it's vital the animals people expect to see are around. In fact I'm fairly sure the presenters have even said as much on the show.
No, it was a population crash due to a natural disaster. Which means some extra-oridnary event took place that could just as easily killed off all the lions. In fact it likely did kill off large populations of lions along with other animals. Lions however possibly had a larger range and thus population reserves the cheetah didn't have to fall back on. Who knows. It was 12000 years ago. Build a time machine and go have a look.
Cheetah may be very good at catching and killing. But they have to eat where their prey falls pretty much. That leaves them exposed and vulnerable. Especially if you're a female with cubs to feed. As has been mentioned. Cheetah are easily chased off of kills.
In the wild, killing your prey is often the easy part.
Cheetah may be very good at catching and killing. But they have to eat where their prey falls pretty much. That leaves them exposed and vulnerable. Especially if you're a female with cubs to feed. As has been mentioned. Cheetah are easily chased off of kills.
In the wild, killing your prey is often the easy part.
Cheetahs don't seem to be very adaptable. They don't seem to thrive outside the grassy plains. Hmmm maybe they could thrive in Saskatchewan or northern Alberta. Lots of grassy praire. Probably wouldnt thrive in the mountains of southern Alberta or BC though. The cougar would kick their ass.
yoohoorocket
New member
Could this disaster have wiped out the sabre tooth? Ive heard theories but no definitive answers on why it went extinct.
But if the lion can't catch them there is no fight. That's usually the case except for cubs. That's why loss of habitat is so damaging to them. Other cats are ambush hunters. They can adapt to different terrains and climates as long as there are good hunting grounds. The cheetah is designed to run down it's prey. It needs the open plains, the land that man usually builds on first, to do that and it needs the open plains to escape predators and to see what scavengers are around before and after it makes a kill. The loss of habitat gives the cheetah less hunting grounds and forces it to share those hunting grounds with other competitors for the food.
I've seen a number of wild life documentaries that would dispute that!
Many animals have suffered population crashes due to various reasons. They often rebound over time. If the cheetahs suffered from some natural disaster it was probably one that effected their natural habitat. Habitat also often rebounds from disasters but the cheetahs natural habitat isn't rebounding because man is taking it. While other cats can adapt to new habitat cheetahs are strictly designed for open plains. They could probably adapt to ambush hunting but they probably wouldn't survive sharing habitat with ambush hunters as they would be ambushed and unable to use their only defense, speed, in that terrain. So while their inability to adapt may be their own failing they wouldn't need to if it wasn't for the loss of habitat caused mostly by people.
And again low survival rate is natures way of keeping numbers in check. Cheetahs are far from the only animal that has a high mortality rate among it's young. They produce a larger litters to compensate for the losses. At the height of their population they had the same mortality rate but with more terrain there were more cheetahs, more litters and the 10% or so that survive was 10% of a larger number. Their numbers are appropriate for the amount of terrain they have they just don't have much terrain any more.
Mothers have a hard time catching enough food when the cubs are small. They survive on the left overs after the cubs are fed. As the cubs get bigger there is less left over. At some point the mother has to leave them to fend for themselves or she would die trying to take care of them and they would be no more ready to survive on their own. At least this way the mother may have more cubs. Some of which may be survivors. Just another example of natural selection. Only the strong survive!
They may not be as adaptable but give cheetahs a protected proper habitat and they'll thrive as well but the proper habitat needs to be not only the right hunting terrain but also shared in the right proportion with other animals. That type of environment is scarce these days.
The cheetahs failure to bounce back is largely due to the lack of suitable habitat though. The habitat loss may have been part of some natural disaster as well but it's failure to bounce back is most likely due to outside interference!
True but the cheetahs are living in closer quarters with predators and scavengers due to loss of habitat. That makes keeping their kill a lot harder than nature intended!
I've seen a number of wild life documentaries that would dispute that!
Many animals have suffered population crashes due to various reasons. They often rebound over time. If the cheetahs suffered from some natural disaster it was probably one that effected their natural habitat. Habitat also often rebounds from disasters but the cheetahs natural habitat isn't rebounding because man is taking it. While other cats can adapt to new habitat cheetahs are strictly designed for open plains. They could probably adapt to ambush hunting but they probably wouldn't survive sharing habitat with ambush hunters as they would be ambushed and unable to use their only defense, speed, in that terrain. So while their inability to adapt may be their own failing they wouldn't need to if it wasn't for the loss of habitat caused mostly by people.
And again low survival rate is natures way of keeping numbers in check. Cheetahs are far from the only animal that has a high mortality rate among it's young. They produce a larger litters to compensate for the losses. At the height of their population they had the same mortality rate but with more terrain there were more cheetahs, more litters and the 10% or so that survive was 10% of a larger number. Their numbers are appropriate for the amount of terrain they have they just don't have much terrain any more.
Mothers have a hard time catching enough food when the cubs are small. They survive on the left overs after the cubs are fed. As the cubs get bigger there is less left over. At some point the mother has to leave them to fend for themselves or she would die trying to take care of them and they would be no more ready to survive on their own. At least this way the mother may have more cubs. Some of which may be survivors. Just another example of natural selection. Only the strong survive!
They may not be as adaptable but give cheetahs a protected proper habitat and they'll thrive as well but the proper habitat needs to be not only the right hunting terrain but also shared in the right proportion with other animals. That type of environment is scarce these days.
The cheetahs failure to bounce back is largely due to the lack of suitable habitat though. The habitat loss may have been part of some natural disaster as well but it's failure to bounce back is most likely due to outside interference!
True but the cheetahs are living in closer quarters with predators and scavengers due to loss of habitat. That makes keeping their kill a lot harder than nature intended!
This is silly.
Fish don't seem very adaptable. Put them on the land and they don't thrive at all. Things that aren't fish totally kick their ass.
Every animal is adapted to fill its niche. For some animals this leads to specialisation (cheetah, anteater etc). For others it leads to adaptability (dog, rat, etc). One isn't intrinsically better than the other because in many cases the sepcialist can thrive in their habitat (when given the chance
far better than the generalists (as you'd expect).
Fish don't seem very adaptable. Put them on the land and they don't thrive at all. Things that aren't fish totally kick their ass.
Every animal is adapted to fill its niche. For some animals this leads to specialisation (cheetah, anteater etc). For others it leads to adaptability (dog, rat, etc). One isn't intrinsically better than the other because in many cases the sepcialist can thrive in their habitat (when given the chance
far better than the generalists (as you'd expect).
partygirl96
New member
YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.
Notice how the mama Cheetah drags the kill close to the photographers jeep. Cheetahs apparently dont mind humans but apparently she senses that other animals such a hyena are wary of two leggers.
Sorry the damn video don't want to play.
Notice how the mama Cheetah drags the kill close to the photographers jeep. Cheetahs apparently dont mind humans but apparently she senses that other animals such a hyena are wary of two leggers.
Sorry the damn video don't want to play.
hellokittyxcore7
New member
Lion Eating Zebra - YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=2lcpfe7ocCA
leopards mating - YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=2lcpfe7ocCA
leopards mating - YouTube
Lions don't kill cheetah the way they kill prey. If a lion catches a cheetahs scent it'll follow it. It'll investigate. And it'll keep on doing that until it gets bored, tired or needs to go hunt something it'll actually eat. Lions have always been a feature of the cheetahs habitat. As were tigers once upon a time.
http://www.hesc.co.za/CONSERVATION/cheetah_history.html
Natural history documentaries are always reporting new information. Once upon a time the idea a pride of lions could hunt down an elephant or even create new hunting strategies was scoffed at. Then it was caught on camera.
Yes indeed many species have suffered population crashes in the past. Including humans on several occasions. However most species don't suffer the multitude of complications cheetah are afflicted by.
Natures way is that dominant powerful species push weaker less able species to extinction with in their territory. Humans are part of nature. We can never be divorced from it. So if it's natures way you really want then the cheetah and all other species unable to adapt to life in a concrete human dominated world should be left to nature to deal with. Nature's a harsh mistress.
Can't say I disagree. So given there just isn't enough room for all the cheetah. How do we fit them all in. Cheetah are territorial. They're also solitary. Especially the females.
Well they do live outside. It's due to all the contributing factors already discussed.
Nature has no intentions. Species come and go as ecological niches open and close. The cheetahs niche is rapidly closing and the species has failed to adapt.
The problem with conservation is "conservation". An attempt to halt the progress of time and preserve a classical idea of what the wilderness is supposed to be. Which just isn't sustainable. What conservationists should be doing is focusing there efforts on sustainable healthy ecosystems that can change and adapt with time. Which is what some conservationists are starting to realise and do.
http://www.hesc.co.za/CONSERVATION/cheetah_history.html
Natural history documentaries are always reporting new information. Once upon a time the idea a pride of lions could hunt down an elephant or even create new hunting strategies was scoffed at. Then it was caught on camera.
Yes indeed many species have suffered population crashes in the past. Including humans on several occasions. However most species don't suffer the multitude of complications cheetah are afflicted by.
Natures way is that dominant powerful species push weaker less able species to extinction with in their territory. Humans are part of nature. We can never be divorced from it. So if it's natures way you really want then the cheetah and all other species unable to adapt to life in a concrete human dominated world should be left to nature to deal with. Nature's a harsh mistress.
Can't say I disagree. So given there just isn't enough room for all the cheetah. How do we fit them all in. Cheetah are territorial. They're also solitary. Especially the females.
Well they do live outside. It's due to all the contributing factors already discussed.
Nature has no intentions. Species come and go as ecological niches open and close. The cheetahs niche is rapidly closing and the species has failed to adapt.
The problem with conservation is "conservation". An attempt to halt the progress of time and preserve a classical idea of what the wilderness is supposed to be. Which just isn't sustainable. What conservationists should be doing is focusing there efforts on sustainable healthy ecosystems that can change and adapt with time. Which is what some conservationists are starting to realise and do.
Thekunt2DASORIGINAL
Member
With lions it all depends on the number of adult males in the pride. A pride with six or more adult males can even take down hippos and juevenile elephants.
Male Cheetahs will hunt together, usually brothers, but females are solitary unless they have cubs. there is video of two CHeetahs taking down Wilderbeasts and warthogs, large prey.
Male Cheetahs will hunt together, usually brothers, but females are solitary unless they have cubs. there is video of two CHeetahs taking down Wilderbeasts and warthogs, large prey.
Sabre toothed cats died out because they were unable to adapt to changing conditions in their world. So in that sense yes. The cheetah's ecological niche is rapidly closing and they are not adapting.
In the case of sabre toothed cats the root cause is swinging back towards humans. We killed off their prey items. Sabre toothed cats were highly specialised hunters adapted to killing specific prey items. So they starved to death and extinction.
In the case of the cheetah, I'm not sure what the extinction event was. Given their natural range (sub-Saharan Africa to Asia) and the areas where they are now absent. I'd guess it was habitat loss due to desertification. But that's purely a guess.
In the case of sabre toothed cats the root cause is swinging back towards humans. We killed off their prey items. Sabre toothed cats were highly specialised hunters adapted to killing specific prey items. So they starved to death and extinction.
In the case of the cheetah, I'm not sure what the extinction event was. Given their natural range (sub-Saharan Africa to Asia) and the areas where they are now absent. I'd guess it was habitat loss due to desertification. But that's purely a guess.
SharonO
New member
I have to confess I've never heard of a pride of lions with 6 adult males. Normally they are pushed out before they reach sexual maturity. Allowing them to stay risks inbreeding since lions aren't that picky. A lioness will breed with anything that fancies it's chances when she's in season.
Any suitably large pride of lions can bring down a juvenile elephant. Males are not required. Hippo seem to be surprisingly easy for lions to bring down. It doesn't look like they put up much of a fight.
This video is a little gruesome.
Lions Killing Hippo - 4 Diffirent Cases - YouTube
Any suitably large pride of lions can bring down a juvenile elephant. Males are not required. Hippo seem to be surprisingly easy for lions to bring down. It doesn't look like they put up much of a fight.
This video is a little gruesome.
Lions Killing Hippo - 4 Diffirent Cases - YouTube
ScottysAngel
New member
HIPPO VS LION PRIDE- LION KILLED - YouTube
DetectiveLeane
Member
So what are you saying? 1 hippo in 5 fights back?
bassoplenty
New member
Yeah so?