Acinonyx jubatus — even the cheetah’s scientific name sizzles with the sound of speed…but what does it actually mean?
Acinonyx refers to the claws: cheetahs are one of the only cat species that don’t fully retract their claws. This basically gives them running cleats.
Jubatus means that cheetahs have manes.
Yes, they do — adorable little manes:
🐆🐆🐆
Camouflaging your young as a honey badger is evolutionarily skillful, but unfortunately lions and other predators are not always fooled.
Out in the wild, very few cubs survive into adulthood, complicating conservation efforts.
But people care, and we do what we can:
Our own youngsters learn about cheetahs at a very early age:
More information:
- Wikipedia page
- A brief history of cheetah conservation
- The king cheetah
That link to king cheetahs is there because Tammy’s cubs likely have that gene, although she herself only shows dark spots and not blotches.
Look how dark the jubilant little furballs are! ❤️
A little lagniappe:
At least two of Tammy’s cubs haven’t yet grown out of the tree-climbing habit…an activity that cheetahs are not at all built for!
Featured image: Smithsonian National Zoo, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Flight To Wonder 