Cheetahs are the fastest living land mammals on earth. They can hit 100 miles per hour in just 5 seconds—almost the speed of a Ferrari car. Generally, cheetahs hunt at a speed of 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) but it varies in between 100 and 120 kilometer per hour. They are however capable to achieve 70 – 75 miles per hour but scientists are probably not sure about the maximum speed of a cheetah.
How Fast Does a Cheetah Run?
While cheetah’s body is primarily built for the maximum acceleration, they can maintain their top speed only in short bursts. Unlike most other fastest-moving animals, cheetahs can accelerate up to 47 miles per hour in just 2 seconds. Pronghorn runs at 55 miles per hour so does the springbok but these animals cannot reach their top speed in seconds—something that cheetahs are quite capable of. Cheetahs can cover 22 feet in a single stride. The speed at which the cheetah moves is about 1.9 – 2.5 miles per hour.
The hunting speed of a cheetah is just not the same as when it runs in a straight line. Normally Thomson’s gazelle is the cheetah’s most favored prey. Gazelles do not run in a straight line. They will escape in a zig-zag manner while running through the dense vegetation. Like a gazelle cheetah must also change its direction quickly to maneuver its body according to the prey. B doing so, cheetah is likely to lose its maximum speed. Thus, scientists are pretty sure that cheetah might not accelerate to its top speed during hunting.