Cheetah

14 Nov 2024 10:31:24 am

Tags : Cheetah

Topic: Biodiversity

Why in the news?

A female cheetah is pregnant and expected to deliver cubs soon at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh\'s Sheopur district.

Source: NDTV

About Cheetah:

It is a large cat and the fastest land animal.
It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots.
The head is small and rounded, with a short snout and black tear-like facial streaks.
It reaches 67–94 cm. at the shoulder, and the head-and-body length is between 1.1 and 1.5 m.
Adults weigh between 21 and 72 kg.
It is capable of running at 93 to 104 km/h; it has evolved specialized adaptations for speed, including a light build, long thin legs and a long tail.
Four subspecies are recognised today that are native to Africa and central Iran. An African subspecies was introduced to India in 2022.
It lives in a variety of habitats such as savannahs in the Serengeti, arid mountain ranges in the Sahara, and hilly desert terrain.
It lives in three main social groups: females and their cubs, male \"coalitions\", and solitary males.
It is active during the day, with peaks during dawn and dusk.
It feeds on small- to medium-sized prey and prefers medium-sized ungulates such as impala, springbok and Thomson\'s gazelles.
It breeds throughout the year. After a gestation of nearly three months, females give birth to a litter of three or four cubs.
It is threatened by habitat loss, conflict with humans, poaching and high susceptibility to diseases.
It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Kuno National Park (KNP):

It is located in the Sheopur district in Madhya Pradesh.
It is nestled near the Vindhyan Hills.
It is named after the Kuno River (One of the main tributaries of the Chambal River) that cuts across it.
Initially established as a wildlife sanctuary, it was only in 2018 that the government changed its status into a national park.
It was selected under ‘Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India’.
Vegetation:
- It is primarily a grassland region, though a few rocky outcrops are found here too.
Flora:
- Kardhai, Salai, and Khair trees dominate the forested area of Kuno National Park, which is mostly mixed forest.
- The park has a total of 123 tree species, 71 shrub species, 32 exotic and climbing species, and 34 bamboo and grass species.
Fauna:
- It is home to the jungle cat, Indian leopard, sloth bear, Indian wolf, striped hyena, golden jackal, Bengal fox and dhole, along with more than 120 bird species.