Cheetah Animal Study and Lapbook

Cover Page	Status File Folder and Blank Books
Spotting a Cheetah Flap	King Cheetah Pop-up
Vocabulary Pocket and Cards	Classification Strips & 0 to 70
Name & Map Matchbooks	Cheetah Speak Accordion Flap
On the Hunt Layer	Pets Compressed Triangle
Family Life Tri-fold	Cheetah Facts Fan
Cheetah Photos

Research

Vocabulary

Diurnal-active during the day

Accelerate-to speed up

Inhale- breathe in

Exhale-breathe out

Vocalizations-sounds an animal makes to communicate

Solitary-doesn’t seek the company of others

Sociable- wanting to spend time with others

Sibling- brother or sister

Vulnerable species- likely to become endangered if action isn’t taken to protect them.

Mutation- a change in the way a normal cheetah looks

Pelt-fur
Cheetah-comes from an Indian word , “chita”, meaning spotted one

Lapbook Components:
Vocabulary Pocket and Cards
What's in a Name? Matchbook (what does cheetah mean?)

Characteristics

The cheetah’s chest is deep and it has a narrow waist. Its fur is tan with black spots. Black tear marks run from the corner of its eyes down the sides of its nose. This aids in keeping sunlight out of its eyes. It has only semi-retractable claws which help it gain traction as it runs. The cheetah also has enlarged heart and lungs that aid in circulating oxygen through its system quickly while it is running.

Lapbook Component: Spotting a Cheetah Flap

King Cheetahs

King Cheetahs are not another species of cheetah, but rather a color mutation of a normal cheetah. They have a different fur (or pelt) pattern. See here . They are the rarest big cat in the world. This rare form of cheetah has only been seen in the wild six times. However, king cheetahs are bred in captivity which has increased their numbers. The difference in their fur pattern is caused by a recessive gene that the cat inherits from each parent. Lapbook Component: King Cheetah Pop-up

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata (having a backbone)

Class: Mammalia (mammal-live birth, nurses babies, have hair)

Order: Carnivora (eats meat)

Family: Felidae (cat family)

Genus: Acinonyx (means “no- move claw” because the cheetah’s claw is not fully retractable)

Species: jubatus (means “maned” in reference to the mane found on cheetah cubs)

Lapbook Component: Classification Strips

Behavior (Locomotion, Vocalization)

Cheetahs are unique among cats in that they have incredible speed, but lack the ability to climb. They can reach speeds of 70 miles per hour in shorts bursts (1,500 ft.). They have the ability to accelerate from 0 to 70 miles per hour in three seconds which is faster than most high speed cars.

Unlike most big cats, cheetahs purr when they inhale. Most big cats purr when they exhale. Cheetahs are unable to roar, but have several types of vocalizations. Here is a list of them.

Chirping- This is like high pitched barking. It is used when a cheetah needs to find another cheetah.

Growling- This is done when a cheetah is annoyed or facing danger.

Yowling- This is a higher form of growling that occurs when the danger increases.

Purring- happens when the cheetah is content.

Lapbook Components:

Cheetah Speak Accordion Flap
0 to 70 Simple Fold

Diet/Hunting

Staples Gazelles, wildebeest calves, impalas, Thomson’s Gazelle, Grant’s gazelle, springbok, young zebras, hares, guineafowl. Cheetahs are diurnal hunters, meaning they hunt during the day. Since they hunt by sight instead of smell, they need some light. They tend to hunt in the early morning or evening. Cheetahs average a success rate of 50% with each chase. Cheetahs kill by biting the throat of their prey.
Lapbook Component: On the Hunt Layer

Family Life

Females give birth to 3 to 5 cubs after about 90 days of pregnancy. The cubs are born with their spots and a mane that is eventually lost as they grow. Cubs leave their mother between a year to two years after birth. Their life span is about 10-12 years in the wild, but longer in captivity.

Females are solitary. Females live alone except when they are raising their young.

Males are sociable. They form a group that will last a lifetime, usually with the brothers from their litter.

When cubs leave their mothers they form a sibling group for about six months. Then the females will leave the group, but the young males will stay together for life.

Lapbook Component: Family Life Tri-fold

Range

Cheetahs were found throughout Africa and Asia from South Africa to India. Nowadays, cheetahs live only in the eastern and southwestern parts of Africa. There are also about 60 cheetahs living in the country of Iran. Cheetahs thrive in huge areas of land where there is lots of prey.

Lapbook Component: Map Matchbook

Legal Status/Protection

Cheetahs are considered a “vulnerable species”. There are approximately 12,400 cheetahs in the wild in Africa and 60 in Iran.
Lapbook Component: Status File Folder

As Pets

Ancient Egyptians kept cheetahs as pets and trained them to help them in hunting. This tradition was passed onto the Persians and then brought to India. Genghis Khan (Emperor of Mongolia) and Charlemange (King of France) also kept cheetahs as pets on their palace grounds.
Lapbook Component: Pets Compressed Triangle