Run, Run Cheetah...

A cheetah's feet don't touch the ground for more than half of the time it's running.

Picture from The Cheetah Blog

A cheetah can complete up to three strides per second, with only one foot on the ground at any time and several stages when feet don't touch the ground at all. Hard, ridged foot pads and blunt, nonretractable claws maximize traction with the ground.

Leopard vs. Cheetah vs. Jaguar

Leopards may sometimes be confused with two other large spotted cats, the cheetah and the jaguar.

 Picture from The Highlander

The leopard and cheetah co-exist together in Africa, while the jaguar typically lives elsewhere.  The patterns of spots is different for each of these animals.  The cheetah has simple black spots that are evenly spread.  The jaguar has small spots that are inside the polygonal rosettes.  And finally the leopard has rounder, smaller rosettes.

Cheetah Chat

A cheetah while ranking among the more vocal felines, can not roar.

 

Picture from Live Science

Cheetah's make numerous other noises, such as chirping, churring, growling, and purring.  A mother cheetah chirps when she's trying to locate her cubs.  Churrs are emitted during social meetings.  You'll often hear a cheetah growl when they are annoyed or face danger.  And just like a kitty, a cheetah will purr when it's content.

Pictures Of The Week - Big Cats Making Faces

We had these two pictures save on our Pinterest account, and we couldn't help but notice the difference in the faces these two big cats are making. The first shows how fearsome and deadly these creatures can be; the second shows that all animals, no matter how powerful, can be playful.

Whoa, you don't want to mess with this guy!

But this guy seems kind of fun.

Seeing the two faces together reminded us of a very human occurrence; that of two siblings squabbling - one getting mad while the other makes faces. Do you see it?

Amazing Animal Hand Art

I’ve decided to take a break today from sharing animal facts with you guys to show you some amazing animal hand art I ran across on Illusion King. The detail of this artwork is incredible! In fact, I’d feel bad about washing my hands if I had any of these painted on me; enjoy!

 

The World's Fastest Fish

Any time you discuss the world’s fastest animals the cheetah comes to mind; and while its 70mph sprint speed does make it the fastest land animal, it’s easily bested in outright velocity by the peregrine falcon, which can reach over 200mph in dives.

However, if you look under the sea there’s another animal that can give even the cheetah a run for its money in speed: the sailfish. Sailfish are members of the Istiophoridae family that also includes marlins and spearfish. They can be most easily recognized by their large sail-like dorsal fins that can run the entire length of the back. Like other members of the family, sailfish have long snouts that resemble swords and can grow to nearly 10 feet in length.

Photo: National Geographic

Sailfish are very prized by sport fisherman and do not have any real natural enemies other than man. This most likely has to do with the fact that the sailfish can outrun just about any other creature in the ocean, reaching speeds of nearly 70mph.

The sail on the sailfish’s back usually stays folded down when swimming, but can be raised when excited or alarmed to make the fish appear larger than it actually is. Scientists have also observed the sail being used to “herd” together the schools of fish for easier feeding. Sailfish come in a very wide variety of colors and have the unique ability to change colors almost instantly, a technique used to confuse prey and communicate with other sailfish.

New kid swinging through the trees

Yesterday, was my first blog--I've taken this blog over from the company president--so I figured I should introduce myself. My name is Jungle Jane and I've been fascinated by wild animals since I was a child. My favorites are big cats: tigers, lions, leopards, etc. But I also like elephants, zebras, and giraffes as you'd be able to tell if you came to my house.

I've never been to Africa--a dream I hope to fulfill someday--but I've been to Asia, where I got to feed bananas to a baby elephant. Did you know they eat the whole thing including peel and stem?!

I've also petted two cheetahs in a wildlife park in Oregon. They're the only big cat who purrs, and just like my kitty cats at home, one cheetah rubbed his head against my arm to say "more petting please."

If you, like me, love jungle animals, you'll love what you find at our store.

JJ

Acceleraion

A cheetah can go from 0 to 70mph in 3 seconds.

That is Fast

The cheetah can reach speeds of over 65 miles per hour.