动物的资料
kuaidi.ping-jia.net 作者：佚名 更新日期：2024-06-30
关于动物的资料
学 名：Ailuiopodidae melanoleuca
别 名：花熊 华熊 竹熊 花头熊 银狗 大浣熊 峨曲 杜洞尕 执夷 貊 猛豹 猛氏兽 貘 食铁兽 猫熊
英文名：Giant Panda
分类
食肉目(Carnivora)熊科(Ursidae)大熊猫亚科(Ailurinae)
濒危信息
CITES：附录I
IUCN：濒危
国家重点保护等级： 一级
中国濒危动物红皮书等级： 濒危
外形特征
大熊猫体型肥硕似熊，但头圆尾短，头部和身体毛色黑白相间分明。
分布范围
只限于我国长江上游向青藏高原过渡的高山深谷地带，包括秦岭，岷山、邛崃山、大小相岭和大小凉山等山系。秦岭山系分布于南麓，主要分布的县是佛坪，一般分布的县是洋县，仅有少量分布的县有太白、宁陕、周至等。岷山系除甘肃文县为一般分布外，其余都分布于四川。在四川主要分布的县有平武、青川和北川等三县，一般分布的有南坪、松潘、茂汶等县，少量分布的县有安县、绵竹、彭县、什邡和都江堰市。邛崃山系主要分布的县有宝兴、汶川和天全等，一般分布的县有大邑和芦山，仅少量分布的县有邛崃、崇庆、康定、泸定等。大小相岭除洪雅和冕宁为一般分布县外，仅有少量分布的县有荥经、石棉、汉源、九龙等。大小凉山除马边、美姑和越西有一定数量外，仅有少量分布的县有甘洛、峨边和雷波等（潘文石，1988；马国瑶，1988；胡锦矗，1985）。 生境与习性 大熊猫栖长江上游各山系的高山深谷，为东南季风的迎风面，气候温凉潮湿，其湿度常在80%以上，故它们是一种喜湿性动物。它们活动的区域多在坳沟、山腹洼地、河谷阶地等，一般在20°以下的缓坡地形。这些地方土质肥厚，森林茂盛，箭竹生长良好，构成为一个气温相对较为稳定，隐蔽条件良好，食物资源和水源都很丰富的优良食物基地。
生活习性
除发情期外，常过着独栖生活，昼夜兼行。巢域面积为3.9-6.4km2不定，个体之间巢域有重叠现象，雄体的巢域略大于雌体。雌体大多数时间仅活动于30-40公顷的核域内，雌体间的核域不重叠（胡锦矗等，1985）。食物主要是高山、亚高山约50种竹类，偶食其它植物，甚至动物尸体。日食量很大，每天还到泉水或溪流饮水。性成熟期是6.5-7.5岁，多于4月发情。一般于当年9月初在古树洞巢内产仔，每胎多产1仔，偶尔也产2仔。幼仔随母体一岁半后才离开母体。野外雌雄性比约为1:1（梁齐慧，1993；魏辅文，1994）。
至危因素
1、森林采伐。大熊猫栖息地每年的采伐面积达到至少1万公顷。其栖息地每年以大约2.5 km2的速度在消失（Kleiman et al，1991）。近30多年来，陕、甘、川三省大熊猫分布区内人口倍增，已达43万余人，大型森工企业自1950-1985年共达27个（不含县属伐木场），采伐的森林核实面积为42万多公顷，年均伐木面积为2万多公顷，致使栖息地由70年代初31,450km2，经过15年后，已锐减至13,921.52km2，减少面积达17528.48km2，占原栖息地的56％，并造成6个伐区内熊猫消失，10个伐区内仅残存极少数熊猫，种群数量急剧下降（胡锦矗，1993）；
2、捕捉过多。如在解放前汶川县草坡，英、美等西方国家，在那时收购捕捉活体达20多只(猎杀者在外)，致使那里的大熊猫种群，迄今已逾50余年，数量仍然很少，尚未恢复。又如宝兴县从1963年迄今，仅在一个县内，捕捉的大熊猫就达113只以上。从50年代中期开始，从野外捕捉的熊猫已超过240只到国内外展出，其中又集中在宝兴110余只，平武60余只，致使这两个县种群结构被破坏，数量大幅度下降（胡锦矗，1993）。根据大熊猫生命表分析，它们一个世代约需12年，种群增长很慢，如大量捕捉，即使在保护得好的情况下，也需几十年才能恢复；
3、近些年来，盗猎走私大熊猫皮张标本尚时有发生；
4、大熊猫种群分布在25个以上岛状隔离的生境中。这些隔离的生境区大小为205km2（30-2384km范围），其中大多数（67％）的面积少于350km2（Kleiman et al.，1991）。这种种群的孤立和分割则是长期威胁其种群的重要因素，小群体的近交衰退现象将降低繁殖力、幼体成活率以及对疾病的抵抗能力。最终"岛状"成员将消失。据潘文石等（1988）对秦岭熊猫种群的遗传分析，那里有200余只大熊猫，可构成一个约90只的繁殖群体，其世代杂合率递减率为0.54％，经过12代后即140年后，每个成员都将有1/8的基因相同，相当于表（堂）兄妹的亲缘关系；
5、由于人类活动范围扩大，大熊猫被迫退缩于山顶，竹种十分单纯，一遇竹子开花，将无回旋余地，仅1975年岷山地区箭竹开花，死亡达138只以上；80年代邛崃山冷箭竹大面积开花，灾后发现大熊猫尸体108具，抢救无效死亡33只，共计141只（胡锦矗，1993）；
6、在大熊猫栖息地存在未经政府允许的矿产开发、污染以及矿工的伐树和捕猎也是威胁之一（Kleiman et al.，1991）。
自然历史
大熊猫是一种有着独特黑白相间毛色的活泼动物。它的拉丁名：Ailuropodamelanoleuca，指的就是它黑白相间的外表。大熊猫的种属是一个争论了一个世纪的问题：它究竟是属于熊科，或象小熊猫一样接近浣熊科，还是自成一种？最近的DNA分析表明，大熊猫属于熊科，代表了熊科的早期分支。成年熊猫长约120－190厘米，体重85到125公斤。独特的特征包括：大而平的臼齿，它的一根腕骨已经发育成了"伪拇指"这都是为了适应以竹子为食的生活。与其他六种熊类不同，大熊猫和太阳熊都没有冬眠行为。
食物特性
大熊猫的食谱非常特殊，几乎包括了在高山地区可以找到的各种竹子，大熊猫也偶尔食肉（通常是动物的尸体）。大熊猫独特的食物特性使它被当地人称作"竹熊"。竹子缺乏营养，只能提供生存所需的基本营养，大熊猫逐步进化出了适应这一食谱的特性。在野外，除了睡眠或短距离活动，大熊猫每天取食的时间长达14个小时。一只大熊猫每天进食12-38公斤食物，接近其体重的40%。大熊猫喜欢吃竹子最有营养，含纤维素最少的部分，即嫩茎，嫩芽，和竹笋。大熊猫栖息地通常有至少两种竹子。当一种竹子开花死亡时（竹子每30－120年会周期性地开花死亡），大熊猫可以转而取食其他的竹子。但是，栖息地破碎化的持续状态增加了栖息地内只有一种竹子的可能，当这种竹子死亡时，这一地区的大熊猫便面临饥饿的威胁。
圈养及社会行为
"繁殖困难"被作为新闻标题来描述大熊猫的繁殖状况。但是，野外的研究表明虽然大熊猫在圈养状态下寿命更长，但野外的繁殖成功率更高。在野外，成年熊猫不论雄雌都参与繁殖。雌性可以和几只争偶的雄性交配，同时一只雄性会寻找处于发情期的不同的雌性。交配的季节在春季三至五月份，通常不超过2－4天。怀孕期大约为5个月。野外偶尔会有孪生的情况出现，但是雌性熊猫一般只喂养一只幼崽。圈养种群中，孪生的情况较多。分娩之前，雌性个体寻找空树的根部和洞穴生产。它在这种庇护所里和附近要呆上三个月，用它宽大的手掌小心地照料幼崽。大熊猫的幼崽出生时非常小，通常只有100-200克，大概只有母熊重量的1/900。在大熊猫幼仔出生几天到一个月之后，母熊猫会把幼仔独自留在洞中或树洞里外出觅食。母兽有时会离开2天或者更长时间。这并不意味它丢弃幼仔，而是养育幼仔过程中很自然的一部分。幼仔在12个月左右开始吃竹子，但是在此之前，它们完全依赖于母亲。野外的幼仔死亡率比圈养要低，约40%左右（潘文石等,正在编印）。
在秦岭地区的长期研究表明大熊猫的繁殖率大概是0.654幼仔/雌性/每年（潘文石等，正在编印)，与北美棕熊的一些自然种群类似（Stringham1990）。
大熊猫是独居动物，每个成体的巢域明确，雄性个体的巢域通常很大，接近30平方公里，一般和多个雌性个体的巢域重叠。当雄性大熊猫在同一巢域相遇时，如发情期在雌性熊猫周围，它们之间有明显的等级，为争偶会导致争斗。占优势的雄性个体有和雌性交配的优先权，但其它雄性也还有机会。雌性个体在3－4岁时性成熟，雄性个体5岁左右。年轻的雄性个体在等级中位置较低，到7－8岁时才有机会交配。雌性个体从4岁到20岁，通常每2-3年产仔一次。虽然大熊猫唯一的家庭结构只存在母兽和不到一岁半的幼仔之间，大熊猫之间也会通过声音和气味经常交流，即使不是在发情期。大熊猫幼仔在一岁左右断奶，并一直和母亲在一起到一岁半左右，直至母亲再次怀孕。如果母兽未怀孕，幼仔会和母亲一起生活到两岁半，这时母亲将它赶走。独立之后，大多数的幼仔在母亲的附近居住，另一些，尤其是雌性，会远离出生地生活。大熊猫的行为仍需进一步的研究。
圈养大熊猫可以存活30年或更长，但野生大熊猫的寿命通常只在20年左右。
历史
化石显示，大熊猫祖先出现在2－3百万年前的洪积纪早期。大熊猫的栖息地曾覆盖了中国东部和南部的大部分地区，北达北京，南至缅甸南部和越南北部（夏勒，1993）。化石通常在海拔500－700米的温带或亚热带森林发现。大熊猫栖息地的巨大变化近代才发生。近几百年中国人口激增和占用土地，很多栖息地消失了。以前，大熊猫曾经生活的在低山河谷，现在已经成了居民点。大熊猫只能生活在竹子可以生长的海拔1200－3400米之间。
目前分布
野外到底有多少只大熊猫？这是一个很难回答的问题。居住在高山区陡坡的密竹林中，大熊猫的统计成为一项很艰苦的工作。在七十年代和八十年代曾经有过两次调查，估计野外有约1000只大熊猫，这个数字可能偏低。大熊猫分布区域内共有37个县，若按主产、一般和少量三级划分，主产县每县约有100只左右，共有7个县；一般产县每县约50只以上，共11个县；少产县每县常在50只以下，计有19个县。据此推算，大熊猫野生数量总计约有一千余只，圈养的数量约为100只AAAZPA Communique，1993）。大熊猫的净生殖率为1.0672，种群增长缓慢（四川省珍贵动物资源调查队，1977；毕凤洲等，1989）。根据国家林业局2006年的调查，目前全国有野生大熊猫1596只，圈养数量161只。大熊猫是熊科家族中最为珍稀，也是受到最大生存威胁的哺乳动物之一。大熊猫生活在中国西南青藏高原东部边缘的温带森林中，竹子是这里主要的林下植物。大熊猫的栖息地集中在六个独立的山系：陕西的秦岭山脉，甘肃和四川的岷山山脉，四川的邛崃，大小相岭和凉山山脉。八十年代调查统计的栖息地的面积约为13000平方公里（Reid and Gong 1999）。根据国家林业局2005年调查报告，现在已经确认将大熊猫秦岭种群认定为大熊猫新亚种。秦岭大熊猫和四川大熊猫在地域上已经分隔5万年之久，外形上秦岭大熊猫头部较圆。目前秦岭大熊猫的数量有273只。在秦岭山区，在黑白色大熊猫中发现过棕色大熊猫。
分类争议
大熊猫的分类地位一直有较大争议，大熊猫的祖先是拟熊类演变而来的始熊猫。现在国际上普遍接受将它列为熊科、大熊猫亚科的分类方法，目前也逐步得到国内的认可。国内传统分类将大熊猫单列为大熊猫科。
adder, viper 蝰蛇
albatross 信天翁
alligator 短吻鳄, 美洲鳄
alpaca 羊驼
anchovy 凤尾鱼
anglerfish 安康鱼
anopheles 按蚊,疟蚊
ant 蚂蚁
anteater 食蚁兽
antilope 羚羊
armadillo 犰狳
ass, donkey 驴
badger 獾
bald eagle 白头鹰
bat 蝙蝠
bear 熊
beaver 河狸
bedbug, bug 臭虫
bee, honeybees 蜜蜂
beetle 甲虫, 金龟子
billy 雄山羊
bird of paradise 极乐鸟, 天堂鸟
bison 美洲野牛
bitch 雌狗
blackbird 乌鸫
boa 王蛇
boar 雄猪, 种猪
brood 鸡的统称
buck 公兔
buffalo 水牛
bull, ox 雄牛
bullfrog 牛蛙
bullock, steer 小阉牛
bumble bee 大黄蜂
butterfly 蝴蝶
cabbage butterfly 纹白蝶
caiman, cayman 凯门鳄
calf 小牛, 牛犊
calf( pl. calves) 年幼的牛
camel 骆驼
canary 金丝雀
carp 鲤鱼
cat 猫
caterpillar 毛虫
catta 雌猫
cattle 牛
centipede 蜈蚣
chaffinch 苍头燕雀
chameleon 变色龙,避役
chick 小鸡
chicken 鸡, 雏鸡
chimpanzee 黑猩猩
chinchilla 南美栗鼠
chub 鲢鱼
cicada 蝉
clam 蚌
cob 雄天鹅
cobra 眼镜蛇
cock 公鸡
cock,rooster 公鸡
cockatoo 大葵花鹦鹉
cockle 鸟蛤
cockroach 蟑螂
cod 鳕鱼
colt, foal 马驹,小马
condor 秃鹰
copperhead 美洲腹蛇
coral snake 银环蛇
cormorant 鸬鹚
cow 雌牛, 母牛
crab 蟹
crayfish 小龙虾, 喇蛄
cricket 蟋蟀
crocodile 鳄鱼, 非洲鳄
crow 乌鸦
crucian 鲫鱼
cuckoo 杜鹃,布谷鸟
cuttloefish 乌贼
cygnet 小天鹅
deer 鹿
dog 狗
dog 雄狗
dolphin 河豚
donkey, ass 驴
dormouse 睡鼠
dove 鸽
dragonfly 蜻蜓
dromedary 单峰驼
drone 雄蜂
duck 鸭
duckbill, platypus 鸭嘴兽
eagle 鹰
eel 鳗鱼
elephant 象
ewe 母羊
ferret 雪貂
flea 跳蚤
flock 绵羊的统称
fly 苍蝇
foal, colt, filly 幼马
fox 狐
frog 青蛙
gaggle 鹅的统称
gander 雄鹅
gander, wild goose 雁
gannet 塘鹅
gavial 印度鳄
gazelle 小羚羊
gelding 阉割的马
giant salamander 娃娃鱼, 鲵
gibbon 长臂猿
gilt 小母猪
giraffe 长颈鹿
glowworm, firefly 萤火虫
goat 山羊
golden eagle 鹫
goldfinch 金翅雀
goose 雌鹅
goose 鹅
gopher 囊地鼠
gorilla 大猩猩
gosling 幼鹅
grass snake 草蛇
grasshopper 蚱蜢
grouse 松鸡
guanaco 原驼
Guinea pig 豚鼠
guinea, fowl 珍珠鸡
gull, seagull 海鸥
hake 无须鳕
hare 野兔
hawk, falcon 隼
hedgehog 刺猬
heifer 小母牛
hen 母鸡
herd 牛的统称
herd 猪的统称
hermit crab 寄居蟹
heron 苍鹰
herring 青鱼, 鲱
hinny 驴骡
hippopotamus 河马
hog 阉猪, 肥猪
horse 马
horsefly, gadfly 厩蝇,牛虻
hummingbird 蜂雀
hyena, hyaena 鬣狗
iguana 鬣蜥
Japanese beetle 日本金龟子
jenny ass 雌驴
kangaroo 袋鼠
kid 年幼的山羊
kingfisher 翠鸟
kite 鹞
kitten 小猫
kitten, kitty, pussy 小猫
koala 考拉, 树袋熊
ladybird 瓢虫
lamb 羊羔,羔羊
large prawn 大对虾
lark 百鸟,云雀
leopard 豹
lion 狮
lizard 蜥蜴
llama 大羊驼
lobster 龙虾
locust 蝗虫
louse, lice 虱子, 白虱
lynx 猞猁
macaw 金刚鹦鹉
mackerel 鲭,鲐
magpie 喜鹊
male ant 雄蚁
mallard 野鸭, 凫
mare 母马
marmot 土拨鼠
moccasin 嗜鱼蛇
mole 鼹鼠
monkey 猴子
mosquito 蚊
moth 蛾
mouse 家鼠
mule 骡
mullet 乌鱼, 黑鱼
mussel 淡菜,贻贝
mustang 野马
mutton 羊肉
nanny 雌山羊
nightingale 夜莺
Norway lobster 蝉虾
octopus 章鱼
orangutan 猩猩
ostrich 鸵鸟
otter 水獭
owl 枭,猫头鹰
ox 牛
oyster 牡蛎
pale clouded yellow 纹黄蝶
panther, puma 美洲豹
parakeet 长尾鹦鹉
parrot 鹦鹉
partridge 石鸡, 鹧鸪
peacock 孔雀
pelican 鹈鹕
penguin 企鹅
perch 鲈鱼
pheasant 雉, 野鸡
pig, swine 猪
pigeon 野鸽
piglet, shoat 年幼的猪
pike 梭子鱼
plaice 鲽
plover 千鸟
pony 矮马
porcupine 箭猪, 豪猪
porpoise 大西洋鼠海豚
poult 小火鸡
prawn 虾
praying mantis 螳螂
ptarmigan 雷鸟
pup 年幼的狗
python 蟒蛇
quail 鹌鹑
queen ant 蚁后
queen bee 蜂王
rabbit 兔
rabbit 兔子
ram 雄绵羊
rat 鼠
rattlesnake 响尾蛇
ray 鳐鱼
red mullet, surmullet 羊鱼
reindeer 驯鹿
rhinoceros 犀牛
robin 知更鸟
sailfish 旗鱼
salamander, triton, newt 蝾螈
salmon 鲑鱼
sardine 沙丁鱼
scallop 扇贝
scops owl 角枭,耳鸟
scorpion 蝎子
sea bream 海鲷
sea horse 海马
sea turtle 海龟
sea urchin 海胆
seal 海豹
shark 鲨鱼
sheep 绵羊
shrimp 对虾
silkworm moth 蚕蛾
silverfish 蠹虫
skipjack 鲣鱼
sloth 獭猴
snail 蜗牛
snake 蛇
snipe 鹬
sole 舌鳎
sow 雌猪
sparrow 麻雀
spider 蜘蛛
spider crab 蜘蛛蟹
spiny lobster, rock lobster 大螯虾
squid 枪乌贼,鱿鱼
squirrel 松鼠
stallion 雄马
starling 八哥
stink bug 椿象
stork 鹳
sturgeon 鲟鱼
sulphur butterfly 白蝴蝶
sunfish 翻车鱼
swallow 燕子
swallowtail 凤尾蝶
swan 天鹅
swift 褐雨燕
swordfish 剑鱼
tabby, she-cat, grimalkin 雌猫
tarantula 多毛毒蜘蛛
tarpon 大海鲢
teal 小野鸭
termite 蚁
thoroughbred 纯种马
thrush 画眉
tiger 虎
toad 蟾蜍
tom 雄火鸡
tomcat 雄猫
tomcat 雄猫, 公猫
tortoise 玳瑁
trout 鳟鱼
tuatara 古蜥蜴
tunny, tuna 金枪鱼
turbot 大菱鲆
turkey 火鸡
turtle 龟
turtle dove 斑鸠
vicuna 小羊驼
vole 田鼠
vulture 秃鹫
wall lizard 壁虎
walrus 海象
wasp 黄蜂, 胡蜂
water buffalo 水牛
weasel 鼬,黄鼠狼
whale 鲸
white ant 白蚁
whitethroat 白喉雀
whiting 小无须鳕
wiggler 孑孓
wildcat 野猫
wolf 狼
woodcock 山鹬
woodpecker 啄木鸟
worker ant 工蚁
yak 牦牛
yak 牦牛
zebra 斑马
horse 马 stallion 雄马
mare 雌马
foal, colt, filly 幼马
gelding 阉割的马
donkey, ass 驴
donkey 雄驴
jenny ass 雌驴
hinny 驴骡
mule 马骡
cattle 牛
bull, ox 雄牛
cow 雌牛
calf( pl. calves) 年幼的牛
herd 牛的统称
water buffalo 水牛
yak 牦牛
sheep 绵羊
ram 雄绵羊
ewe 雌绵羊
lamb 年幼的绵羊
flock 绵羊的统称
mutton 羊肉
goat 山羊
billy 雄山羊
nanny 雌山羊
kid 年幼的山羊
pig 猪
boar 雄猪
sow 雌猪
piglet, shoat 年幼的猪
herd 猪的统称
dog 狗
dog 雄狗
***** 雌狗
puy 年幼的狗
rabbit 兔
buck 公兔
goose 鹅
gander 雄鹅
goose 雌鹅
gosling 幼鹅
gaggle 鹅的统称
chicken 鸡
cock, rooster 公鸡
hen 母鸡
chick 小鸡
brood 鸡的统称
duck 鸭
turkey 火鸡
tom 雄火鸡
poult 小火鸡
cat 猫
tomcat 雄猫
catta 雌猫
kitten 小猫 Zoology
horse 马
mare 母马
colt, foal 马驹,小马
pony 矮马
thoroughbred 纯种马
mustang 野马
mule 骡
ass, donkey 驴
ox 牛
buffalo 水牛
bull 公牛
cow 母牛
calf 小牛, 牛犊
bullock, steer 小阉牛
heifer 小母牛
pig, swine 猪
boar 种猪
hog 阉猪, 肥猪
gilt 小母猪
piglet 猪崽
sheep 羊
ewe 母羊
goat 山羊
lamb 羊羔,羔羊
zebra 斑马
antelope 羚羊
gazelle 小羚羊
deer 鹿
reindeer 驯鹿
giraffe 长颈鹿
camel 骆驼
dromedary 单峰驼
llama 大羊驼
guanaco 原驼
alpaca 羊驼
vicuna 小羊驼
elephant 象
rhinoceros 犀牛
hippopotamus 河马
cat 猫
tabby, she-cat, grimalkin 雌猫
tomcat 雄猫, 公猫
kitten, kitty, pussy 小猫
lion 狮
lynx 猞猁
panther, puma 美洲豹
leopard 豹
tiger 虎
wildcat 野猫
bison 美洲野牛
yak 牦牛
dog 狗
badger 獾
weasel 鼬,黄鼠狼
otter 水獭
fox 狐
hyena, hyena 鬣狗
wolf 狼
squirrel 松鼠
dormouse 睡鼠
beaver 河狸
marmot 土拨鼠
ferret 雪貂
bear 熊
rabbit 兔子
hare 野兔
rat 鼠
chinchilla 南美栗鼠
gopher 囊地鼠
Guinea pig 豚鼠
marmot 土拨鼠
mole 鼹鼠
mouse 家鼠
vole 田鼠
monkey 猴子
chimpanzee 黑猩猩
gorilla 大猩猩
orangutan 猩猩
gibbon 长臂猿
sloth 獭猴
anteater 食蚁兽
duckbill, platypus 鸭嘴兽
kangaroo 袋鼠
koala 考拉, 树袋熊
hedgehog 刺猬
porcupine 箭猪, 豪猪
bat 蝙蝠
armadillo 犰狳
whale 鲸
dolphin 河豚
porpoise 大西洋鼠海豚
seal 海豹
walrus 海象
1 The Felidae Family
Acinonyx jubatus (Cheetah)
Range and Habitat
Cheetahs range in the savanna regions of sub-Saharan Africa, and east of the rainforests in central Africa. A small population of approximately 200 cheetahs also occur in the Caspian Sea area in the countries of Iran, Turkey and Turkmenistan. Their range used to extend farther east to the Middle East and India, but have been eliminated and are thought to be extinct in these countries. The largest cheetah population exists in Namibia, with an estimated 2,000-3,000 cheetahs. However, even here their future is not secure, because Namibian farmers loose 10% of their livestock to cheetahs.
Physical Appearance
The cheetah is the most canid of all felines. They are adapted for running very fast. Males are slightly larger than the females. Cheetahs are shaped very differently from other felines. They have long, thin legs; a very lithe body (the same tapering shape as a greyhound); a very small and rounded head; and a very long thin tail that the cheetah uses as a balance when it runs. The cheetah has a yellowish-tawny-golden color coat with white underbody and face, and solid black spots all over its body, and a thick black tear stripe that runs from the inside corner of its eyes to its mouth. Their canine teeth are proportionately small for a cat, in order to make room for their enlarged nasal passages. Cheetahs claws don't retract completely, and their feet are wider in relation to their body size. The soles of their feet are covered with rough scaly pads, in order to grip the ground while they run. All these characteristics help to make the cheetah the fastest land animal on the planet.
Unfortunately, though the cheetah's body was designed for speed, it was not designed for endurance, it is a sprint runner. Cheetahs can only keep up their fastest pace (70 mph) for 400 yards before their body overheats and their muscles begin to tire and produce lactic acid from exhaustion. In fact, the cheetah's body temperature can rise to over 105 degrees Fahrenheit, a fatal temperature. In order to help them get enough air to their huge lungs while they run, their nasal passage is very large and short. Their heart, lungs, bronchial tubes, and adrenal glands are larger, which also aid in the circulation of oxygen rich blood to the muscles.
The cheetah is poetry in motion when it runs. It has an extremely flexible spine, which it can flex and twist to increase its stride up to 20 feet in a single bound! Its hip, ankle, wrist and shoulder joints are also very flexible, as the cheetah sprints and dodges in numerous angles to catch its prey, and needs to be able to maneuver in a split second. The long thick tail acts as a rudder, and by flailing the tail around the cheetah can steer itself at very high speeds.
They are very easy to distinguish from the other large African spotted cat, the leopard, because they look so different. They have spots, whereas the leopard has rosettes. The cheetah is much smaller and thinner, and its legs are longer and very thin, where the leopard is much heavier and more muscular with proportionately shorter legs. The cheetah's head and muzzle is more rounded and smaller than the leopards, and the leopard can jump up in trees and stalk on the ground, whereas the cheetah is restricted to staying on the ground.
2 The Felidae Family
King Cheetah
For years, strangely marked skins from cheetahs have come out of Africa, as well as reports of a strangely-marked giant cheetah. In 1975, in Kruger Park, South Africa, cryptozoologists Paul and Lena Bottriell observed and photographed a king cheetah. It was larger than a normal cheetah, and had strange blotchy markings on its body. They were able to obtain mounted specimens of these creatures to study.
At first, people felt that this new animal was a hybrid cheetah-leopard cross. Some king cheetahs were captured, and genetic tests done on them determined that this was false. The unusual coat pattern was caused by a recessive allele (gene), which was known as the "tabby gene", because the same gene in domestic cats controls the tabby markings on them. King cheetahs are the same species, and can interbreed with normal cheetahs and produce fertile young of both types. King cheetahs can breed with each other and produce fertile young of both sexes. And king cheetahs can be born to a normal cheetah pair. The king cheetah is not a subspecies of cheetah, but unusually marked indivuduals within a population. The king cheetah turns up in clumps within populations, and are widespread throughout Africa.
In 1981, in the DeWildt cheetah center in South Africa, a "king" cheetah was born. It was the first king cheetah born in captivity. They have the same body structures as a normal cheetah, but the markings are bigger and all the spots are connected in a blotchy pattern. This new mutation is giving biologists hope, as they believe that such mutations may mean that the cheetah is beginning to regain some genetic diversity. Such mutations rarely exist in the wild, but they have been seen.
Diet and Hunting Behavior
Cheetahs prefer to eat small ungulates: the Thompson's gazelle, Grant's gazelle, impala; and even occasionally rabbits. The cheetah eats as much of the prey it caught as it can, and does not return to its kills because it cannot defend them. The cheetah trades speed for strength. It hunts during the day so as not to come into contact with more nocturnal predators as lions and hyenas, who kill their cubs and eat them, and will kill the mother if they can catch her. The cheetah is the most successful solitary hunter, succeeding in up to 70% of their hunts. This is due to the fact that the cheetah is specialized, and by no means reflects on the cheetahs ability to catch a wide variety of prey. The only other hunter that is more successful than the cheetah is the African wild dog, which is the most successful cooperative hunter, catching up to 80% of their hunts.
Cheetahs hunt by sight, sometimes standing atop termite mounds to survey their surroundings. Once the desired prey is sighted, the cheetah silently stalks it, until it is within 50 - 100 yards of it. Then it explodes into action, and chases its prey across the savannah. The cheetah's very flexible spine allows it the greatest running stride of all the big cats. It uses its long tail to balance it while it chases down its prey. And its extremely flexible hips allow it to make sharp turns. Once the prey is within reach, the cheetah uses its front paws to try and knock the legs out from under it. It then kills its prey by a choke hold from their small canines. During the hunt, they run so fast that their body temperature can reach up to 105 degrees farenheight, which can kill. So they can run very fast but don't have very good endurance. Unfortunately, after all this effort, the exhausted and overheated cheetah usually cannot eat, because larger predators can easily take it away from the tired cheetah, who even if she wasn't exhausted form the chase could not defend her food from them. Unlike most other carnivores, cheetahs never scavenge. They must eat fresh killed meat.
3 The Felidae Family
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Females reach sexual maturity at 2-3 years, and males at 3 years. Mating can take place year-round, but peaks during the rainy season (November to May). Like most cats, cheetahs are mating-induced ovulators, which means that they do not ovulate until after mating has occurred. In order for mating to take place, the female cheetah lays down and raises her rear end in the air, in a position called lordosis. The male cheetah's penis, like all carnivores, has a bone called the baculum, which serves to stimulate the female cheetah's vaginal wall. Also on the male cheetah's penis are tiny backwards facing spines, which are found only in the cat family. They are believed to provide stimulation for ovulation. The act of copulation itself lasts only a minute or two at most. They may mate several times a day, and the oestrus period, or receptive time of the female, lasts up to fourteen days.
After a gestation period of 90 - 98 days, she gives birth to 1-3 cubs in a burrow made in thick grass. The cubs weigh 250 - 300 g (8.8 - 10.6 oz) when they are born. They stay in the burrow for 8 weeks. During this time, the mother moves her cubs constantly to avoid detection by predators. Their first teeth come in at 3-6 weeks of age, and are replaced by adult teeth by 8 months old. Until the cubs are 3 months old, they are covered with a long, fuzzy grey coat, which gradually falls out and their sleek, spotted coats fill in. This unusual coloration is thought to be camouflage for the cubs. Cubs are weaned at 4 months old, but continue to stay with their mother until they are about a year and a half old. During this time they are taught how to hunt. Infant mortality rate is 71% before 2 months, and 95% from two months to 1 year old. The high infant mortality rate is due to starvation, disease, and predation by lions, baboons and hyenas. Those that do survive take 1 1/2 years to mature, and in that time they stick with their mother to learn how to hunt. She will not breed until her cubs either all leave her or die. Cheetahs can live for up to 15 years in the wild.
Social Behavior
Cheetahs are generally solitary and diurnal (active in the daytime) by nature, but they are actually more social than most felids, except the lion. They are most active during the daytime to aviod conflict with the more nocturnal lion and hyena, which are the cheetah's main enemies besides man. Females are usually found alone escept when she has young, and males live in coalitions of two to five members, trios being the most common. In areas of eastern and southern Africa, where other large predators have been eradicated, cheetahs are often seen in groups of 14 - 19 individuals. The males and females only get together to breed. After conception, the males leave the females and rejoin their coalitions. In these coalitions, the males live and hunt together, protecting one another from lions and hyenas, and providing food for everyone in the coalition, since it is easier to hunt in a group. Coalitions of cheetahs also have better success rates in establishing and maintaining a territory, and finding mates. Sometimes, a small family group consisting of males and females form. They hunt together as well, and are more successful than loners. The practice mutual grooming, which establishes bonds between members of the coalition. All cheetahs, whether they are the members of a coalition, or the lone cheetah, regularly mark off their home ranges with urine.
4 The Felidae Family
Cheetahs communicate with each other using a variety of sounds. Cheetahs don't meow, but they do chirp and squeak. Mother cheetahs chirp to call their young. They also purr to show contentment and growl to show aggression. Cheetahs also communicate using body language, like other cats. Flattened ears and bared teeth mean aggression, and this is accentuated by white spots on the backs of black ears.
Threats
All cheetahs are endangered due to excessive hunting for their skins, and severely inbred because of a plague that swept across Africa in the last Ice age over 10,000 years ago, leaving only a few thousand cheetahs. The animals also have a low recovery rate, and were unable to mutate to produce a more genetically stable population. Those that survived and dodged the bullets of hunters were responsible for perpetuation of the species. Because there was such a small gene pool left, all African cheetahs today are descended from these few hundred cheetahs, so most are related. This can be proven by comparing coat patterns. All marked animals (those with spots, rosettes, or stripes) have their own unique patterns. Several cheetahs have shown similar, if not near identical, coat patterns; even those that are several thousands of miles apart. Biologists have also noticed that skin grafts between unrelated cheetahs in zoos take, instead of being rejected as they normally would. Thus, the world of the cheetah looks very dim, as no new genetic material can be introduced. Cheetahs have a sperm count that is 90% lower than a tiger or lion, and on top of that, 75% of the sperm are abnormal, having multiple tails, no tail, multiple heads, and even no heads. Captive breeding programs have not been successful, as cheetahs will not readily breed in captivity, and unfortunately, the offspring produced usually die.
Cheetahs are also threatened by lions, who will kill adult cheetahs if they can catch them, and kill their cubs when they find them hidden in the grass. Lions and hyenas also steal the cheetah's kills, and since the cheetah is smaller, weaker, and cannot rick any physical damage, must relinquish its hard-earned kill.
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答：左肺退化.蛇会定期蜕皮,以利生长.鸟类 特征:全身披有羽毛,身体呈流线形,有角质的喙.眼在头的两侧,颈部长而灵活可270度转.前肢特化成翼,后肢有鳞状外皮,具四趾.恒温动物(能通过自身的生理过程产生热量,即使外界温度很低,他们也能维持高而恒定的体温).平均体温比哺乳动物高出10度左右(平均42度).
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狗是人类最早驯化的家畜之一，属于哺乳纲，肉食目，犬科。生物学家研究认为，狗最早是由狼、狐和胡狼自然杂交而产生的。经过各民族采用不同方法进行长时间的驯化逐渐形成了现在繁多的品种。据联合国统计，现在全世界约有5亿条狗，我国大约有1亿条。从古至今狗始终是人类的朋友和得力的助手。从边境巡逻、缉毒、侦破案件、救护伤员到为盲人引路、与主人作伴，处处都有它们矫健的身影。正因如此，狗几乎在世界各国都受到宠爱和保护。各种各样的狗协会遍及世界各地，在西方发达国家还有很多专门为狗设立的服务性机构。以前，为了控制狂犬病对人的威胁，我国曾实行灭狗的政策。随着经济的发展和医学的进步，通过接种疫苗已经能很好地控制狂犬病。所以近年来各大城市也逐步改变了过去那种一味灭狗的非人道做法，并针对养狗制定了一系列比较客观、合理的规章制度，使我国的养狗事业正逐步走向科学化、法制化。犬在动物分类学上属于肉食目。犬的祖先以捕食小动物为主，偶尔也用块茎类植物充饥。犬被人类训养后，食性发生了变化，变成以肉食为主的杂食动物，但素食也可以维持生命。即使如此，可它们现在仍保持以肉食为主这样一个消化特性，如犬的牙齿，上下颁各有一对尖锐的犬齿，体现了肉食动物善于撕咬猎物的特点，犬的臼齿也比较尖锐、强健，能切断食物，啃咬骨头时，上下齿之间的压力可达165千克，但不善咀嚼。因此，犬吃东西时真是"狼吞虎咽"，很少咀嚼。犬的食管壁上有丰富的横纹肌，呕吐中枢发达。当吃进毒物后能引起强烈的呕吐反射，把吞入胃内的毒物排出，是一种比较独特的防御本领。犬的唾液腺发达，能分泌大量唾液，湿润口腔和饲料，便于咀嚼和吞咽。唾液中还含有溶菌酶，具有杀菌作用。在炎热的季节，依靠唾液中水分的蒸发散热，借以调节体温。因此，在夏天我们常可以看到犬张开大嘴，伸出长长的舌头就是为了代替发汗散热。犬胃呈不正梨形，胃液中盐酸的含量为 0.4~0.6%，在家畜中居首位。盐酸能使蛋白质膨胀变性，便于分解消化。因此，犬对蛋白质的消化能力很强，这是其肉食习性的基础。犬在食后5~7小时就可将胃中的食物全部排空，要比其他草食或杂食动物快许多。犬的肠管较短，一般只有体长的3~4倍，而同样是单胃的马和兔的肠管为体长的12倍。犬的肠壁厚，吸收能力强，这些都是典型的肉食特征。犬的肝脏比较大，相当于体重的3%左右，分泌的胆汁有利于脂肪的吸收。犬的排粪中枢不发达，不能像其他家畜那样在行进状态下排粪。犬对蛋白质和脂肪能很好地消化吸收，但因咀嚼不充分和肠管短，不具发酵能力，故对粗纤维的消化能力差。因此，给犬喂蔬菜时应切碎、煮熟，不宜整块、整棵地喂。犬的品种很多，其体格大小差异可在20倍以上。犬体最高的可超过1米，最矮的只有20厘米;最重的犬有一130千克， 最轻的犬只有1.5千克。犬的体格虽然差异较大，但解剖构造基本相同。犬有225~230块骨头，这些骨头不但构成了犬体 坚固的支撑系统，对内脏器官具有保护作用，而且是能够疾速奔驰的基础。犬的肌肉发达、强壮，使它不但能快速奔跑，而且耐久性好。据报道，犬100米的纪录是5.925秒，是由一只荷 兰灰犬在1971年创造的。这个速度远比人类快得多，而且与赛马的100米速度5.17秒很接近，就是一般的家养中型犬，其100米速度也不超过10秒，非常灵活。犬的耐力闻名于世，能连续奔跑几十公里。如在第一次世界大战期间的传令犬，仅用50分钟就跑完了21.7公里的路程。最著名的是在北极附近举行的雪撬拉力赛，十几条犬拉着几百千克重的物品，在摄氏零下40多度，寒风刺骨的雪地上奔驰，而每天只有短短数小时的休息。据记载，一只犬在雪地上可拉动100千克重的物品。犬的后肢骨路强壮，肌肉发达，因此，犬也是跳高能手，最高可跳过5米的障碍物。
1、大熊猫
大熊猫（学名：Ailuropoda melanoleuca）：属于食肉目、熊科、大熊猫亚科和大熊猫属唯一的哺乳动物，头躯长1.2-1.8米，尾长10-12厘米。
体重80-120千克，最重可达180千克，体色为黑白两色，它有着圆圆的脸颊，大大的黑眼圈，胖嘟嘟的身体，标志性的内八字的行走方式，也有解剖刀般锋利的爪子。
大熊猫已在地球上生存了至少800万年，被誉为“活化石”和“中国国宝”，世界自然基金会的形象大使，是世界生物多样性保护的旗舰物种。据第三次全国大熊猫野外种群调查，全世界野生大熊猫不足1600只，属于中国国家一级保护动物。
截止2011年10月，全国圈养大熊猫数量为333只。大熊猫最初是吃肉的，经过进化，99%的食物都是竹子了，但牙齿和消化道还保持原样，仍然划分为食肉目，发怒时危险性堪比其它熊种。
野外大熊猫的寿命为18-20岁，圈养状态下可以超过30岁。截至2018年11月，圈养大熊猫种群数量达到548只。
2、西伯利亚平原狼
西伯利亚平原狼（学名：Canis lupus campestris）：是灰狼的一个亚种，属于食物链中上层的掠食者，是西伯利亚雪橇犬“哈士奇”（hasky）的祖先。
通常群体行动。它们活动在森林、沙漠、山地、寒带草原、西伯利亚针叶林、草地，是世界上最大的野生犬科家族成员。具有很好的耐力，适合长途迁移。它们的胸部狭窄，背部与腿强健有力，使它们具备很有效率的机动能力。
它们能以约10公里的时速走十几公里，追逐猎物时速度能提高到接近每小时65公里，冲刺时每一步的距离可以长达5米。由于它们会捕食羊等家畜，因此直到20世纪末期前都被人类大量捕杀。
3、树袋熊
树袋熊，又称考拉，是澳大利亚的国宝，也是澳大利亚奇特的珍贵原始树栖动物。英文名Koala bear来源于古代土著文字，意思是“no drink”。因为树袋熊从他们取食的桉树叶中获得所需的90%的水分，只在生病和干旱的时候喝水，当地人称它“克瓦勒”，意思也是“不喝水”。
树袋熊并不是熊科动物，而且它们相差甚远。熊科属于食肉目，而树袋熊却属于有袋目。它每天18个小时处于睡眠状态，性情温顺，体态憨厚。
4、袋鼠
袋鼠是任一种属于袋鼠目的有袋动物 ，主要分布于澳大利亚大陆和巴布亚新几内亚的部分地区。其中，有些种类为澳大利亚独有。不同种类的袋鼠在澳大利亚各种不同的自然环境中生活，从凉性气候的雨林和沙漠平原到热带地区。袋鼠是跳得最高最远的哺乳动物。
”袋鼠 “有时候指所有的有袋动物。这个词源自Guugu Yimidhirr（一种澳洲原住民语言），后来袋鼠这个词被约瑟夫·班克斯在 詹姆斯·库克的第一次航海旅行中命名。
5、美洲豹
美洲豹，学名：Panthera onca (Linnaeus, 1758)，又叫美洲虎，是现存第三大的猫科动物。体重70—180千克，咬力可达1250磅。是生活在中南美洲的一种大型猫科动物。
它身上的花纹比较像豹，但整个身体的形状又更接近于虎。在猫科动物中，美洲豹的体型仅次于狮、虎。野外寿命约18年。人工饲养的历史达20多年。
参考资料来源:百度百科-大熊猫
参考资料来源:百度百科-西伯利亚平原狼
参考资料来源:百度百科-树袋熊
参考资料来源:百度百科-袋鼠
参考资料来源:百度百科-美洲豹
学 名：Ailuiopodidae melanoleuca
别 名：花熊 华熊 竹熊 花头熊 银狗 大浣熊 峨曲 杜洞尕 执夷 貊 猛豹 猛氏兽 貘 食铁兽 猫熊
英文名：Giant Panda
分类
食肉目(Carnivora)熊科(Ursidae)大熊猫亚科(Ailurinae)
濒危信息
CITES：附录I
IUCN：濒危
国家重点保护等级： 一级
中国濒危动物红皮书等级： 濒危
外形特征
大熊猫体型肥硕似熊，但头圆尾短，头部和身体毛色黑白相间分明。
分布范围
只限于我国长江上游向青藏高原过渡的高山深谷地带，包括秦岭，岷山、邛崃山、大小相岭和大小凉山等山系。秦岭山系分布于南麓，主要分布的县是佛坪，一般分布的县是洋县，仅有少量分布的县有太白、宁陕、周至等。岷山系除甘肃文县为一般分布外，其余都分布于四川。在四川主要分布的县有平武、青川和北川等三县，一般分布的有南坪、松潘、茂汶等县，少量分布的县有安县、绵竹、彭县、什邡和都江堰市。邛崃山系主要分布的县有宝兴、汶川和天全等，一般分布的县有大邑和芦山，仅少量分布的县有邛崃、崇庆、康定、泸定等。大小相岭除洪雅和冕宁为一般分布县外，仅有少量分布的县有荥经、石棉、汉源、九龙等。大小凉山除马边、美姑和越西有一定数量外，仅有少量分布的县有甘洛、峨边和雷波等（潘文石，1988；马国瑶，1988；胡锦矗，1985）。 生境与习性 大熊猫栖长江上游各山系的高山深谷，为东南季风的迎风面，气候温凉潮湿，其湿度常在80%以上，故它们是一种喜湿性动物。它们活动的区域多在坳沟、山腹洼地、河谷阶地等，一般在20°以下的缓坡地形。这些地方土质肥厚，森林茂盛，箭竹生长良好，构成为一个气温相对较为稳定，隐蔽条件良好，食物资源和水源都很丰富的优良食物基地。
生活习性
除发情期外，常过着独栖生活，昼夜兼行。巢域面积为3.9-6.4km2不定，个体之间巢域有重叠现象，雄体的巢域略大于雌体。雌体大多数时间仅活动于30-40公顷的核域内，雌体间的核域不重叠（胡锦矗等，1985）。食物主要是高山、亚高山约50种竹类，偶食其它植物，甚至动物尸体。日食量很大，每天还到泉水或溪流饮水。性成熟期是6.5-7.5岁，多于4月发情。一般于当年9月初在古树洞巢内产仔，每胎多产1仔，偶尔也产2仔。幼仔随母体一岁半后才离开母体。野外雌雄性比约为1:1（梁齐慧，1993；魏辅文，1994）。
至危因素
1、森林采伐。大熊猫栖息地每年的采伐面积达到至少1万公顷。其栖息地每年以大约2.5 km2的速度在消失（Kleiman et al，1991）。近30多年来，陕、甘、川三省大熊猫分布区内人口倍增，已达43万余人，大型森工企业自1950-1985年共达27个（不含县属伐木场），采伐的森林核实面积为42万多公顷，年均伐木面积为2万多公顷，致使栖息地由70年代初31,450km2，经过15年后，已锐减至13,921.52km2，减少面积达17528.48km2，占原栖息地的56％，并造成6个伐区内熊猫消失，10个伐区内仅残存极少数熊猫，种群数量急剧下降（胡锦矗，1993）；
2、捕捉过多。如在解放前汶川县草坡，英、美等西方国家，在那时收购捕捉活体达20多只(猎杀者在外)，致使那里的大熊猫种群，迄今已逾50余年，数量仍然很少，尚未恢复。又如宝兴县从1963年迄今，仅在一个县内，捕捉的大熊猫就达113只以上。从50年代中期开始，从野外捕捉的熊猫已超过240只到国内外展出，其中又集中在宝兴110余只，平武60余只，致使这两个县种群结构被破坏，数量大幅度下降（胡锦矗，1993）。根据大熊猫生命表分析，它们一个世代约需12年，种群增长很慢，如大量捕捉，即使在保护得好的情况下，也需几十年才能恢复；
3、近些年来，盗猎走私大熊猫皮张标本尚时有发生；
4、大熊猫种群分布在25个以上岛状隔离的生境中。这些隔离的生境区大小为205km2（30-2384km范围），其中大多数（67％）的面积少于350km2（Kleiman et al.，1991）。这种种群的孤立和分割则是长期威胁其种群的重要因素，小群体的近交衰退现象将降低繁殖力、幼体成活率以及对疾病的抵抗能力。最终"岛状"成员将消失。据潘文石等（1988）对秦岭熊猫种群的遗传分析，那里有200余只大熊猫，可构成一个约90只的繁殖群体，其世代杂合率递减率为0.54％，经过12代后即140年后，每个成员都将有1/8的基因相同，相当于表（堂）兄妹的亲缘关系；
5、由于人类活动范围扩大，大熊猫被迫退缩于山顶，竹种十分单纯，一遇竹子开花，将无回旋余地，仅1975年岷山地区箭竹开花，死亡达138只以上；80年代邛崃山冷箭竹大面积开花，灾后发现大熊猫尸体108具，抢救无效死亡33只，共计141只（胡锦矗，1993）；
6、在大熊猫栖息地存在未经政府允许的矿产开发、污染以及矿工的伐树和捕猎也是威胁之一（Kleiman et al.，1991）。
自然历史
大熊猫是一种有着独特黑白相间毛色的活泼动物。它的拉丁名：Ailuropodamelanoleuca，指的就是它黑白相间的外表。大熊猫的种属是一个争论了一个世纪的问题：它究竟是属于熊科，或象小熊猫一样接近浣熊科，还是自成一种？最近的DNA分析表明，大熊猫属于熊科，代表了熊科的早期分支。成年熊猫长约120－190厘米，体重85到125公斤。独特的特征包括：大而平的臼齿，它的一根腕骨已经发育成了"伪拇指"这都是为了适应以竹子为食的生活。与其他六种熊类不同，大熊猫和太阳熊都没有冬眠行为。
食物特性
大熊猫的食谱非常特殊，几乎包括了在高山地区可以找到的各种竹子，大熊猫也偶尔食肉（通常是动物的尸体）。大熊猫独特的食物特性使它被当地人称作"竹熊"。竹子缺乏营养，只能提供生存所需的基本营养，大熊猫逐步进化出了适应这一食谱的特性。在野外，除了睡眠或短距离活动，大熊猫每天取食的时间长达14个小时。一只大熊猫每天进食12-38公斤食物，接近其体重的40%。大熊猫喜欢吃竹子最有营养，含纤维素最少的部分，即嫩茎，嫩芽，和竹笋。大熊猫栖息地通常有至少两种竹子。当一种竹子开花死亡时（竹子每30－120年会周期性地开花死亡），大熊猫可以转而取食其他的竹子。但是，栖息地破碎化的持续状态增加了栖息地内只有一种竹子的可能，当这种竹子死亡时，这一地区的大熊猫便面临饥饿的威胁。
圈养及社会行为
"繁殖困难"被作为新闻标题来描述大熊猫的繁殖状况。但是，野外的研究表明虽然大熊猫在圈养状态下寿命更长，但野外的繁殖成功率更高。在野外，成年熊猫不论雄雌都参与繁殖。雌性可以和几只争偶的雄性交配，同时一只雄性会寻找处于发情期的不同的雌性。交配的季节在春季三至五月份，通常不超过2－4天。怀孕期大约为5个月。野外偶尔会有孪生的情况出现，但是雌性熊猫一般只喂养一只幼崽。圈养种群中，孪生的情况较多。分娩之前，雌性个体寻找空树的根部和洞穴生产。它在这种庇护所里和附近要呆上三个月，用它宽大的手掌小心地照料幼崽。大熊猫的幼崽出生时非常小，通常只有100-200克，大概只有母熊重量的1/900。在大熊猫幼仔出生几天到一个月之后，母熊猫会把幼仔独自留在洞中或树洞里外出觅食。母兽有时会离开2天或者更长时间。这并不意味它丢弃幼仔，而是养育幼仔过程中很自然的一部分。幼仔在12个月左右开始吃竹子，但是在此之前，它们完全依赖于母亲。野外的幼仔死亡率比圈养要低，约40%左右（潘文石等,正在编印）。
在秦岭地区的长期研究表明大熊猫的繁殖率大概是0.654幼仔/雌性/每年（潘文石等，正在编印)，与北美棕熊的一些自然种群类似（Stringham1990）。
大熊猫是独居动物，每个成体的巢域明确，雄性个体的巢域通常很大，接近30平方公里，一般和多个雌性个体的巢域重叠。当雄性大熊猫在同一巢域相遇时，如发情期在雌性熊猫周围，它们之间有明显的等级，为争偶会导致争斗。占优势的雄性个体有和雌性交配的优先权，但其它雄性也还有机会。雌性个体在3－4岁时性成熟，雄性个体5岁左右。年轻的雄性个体在等级中位置较低，到7－8岁时才有机会交配。雌性个体从4岁到20岁，通常每2-3年产仔一次。虽然大熊猫唯一的家庭结构只存在母兽和不到一岁半的幼仔之间，大熊猫之间也会通过声音和气味经常交流，即使不是在发情期。大熊猫幼仔在一岁左右断奶，并一直和母亲在一起到一岁半左右，直至母亲再次怀孕。如果母兽未怀孕，幼仔会和母亲一起生活到两岁半，这时母亲将它赶走。独立之后，大多数的幼仔在母亲的附近居住，另一些，尤其是雌性，会远离出生地生活。大熊猫的行为仍需进一步的研究。
圈养大熊猫可以存活30年或更长，但野生大熊猫的寿命通常只在20年左右。
历史
化石显示，大熊猫祖先出现在2－3百万年前的洪积纪早期。大熊猫的栖息地曾覆盖了中国东部和南部的大部分地区，北达北京，南至缅甸南部和越南北部（夏勒，1993）。化石通常在海拔500－700米的温带或亚热带森林发现。大熊猫栖息地的巨大变化近代才发生。近几百年中国人口激增和占用土地，很多栖息地消失了。以前，大熊猫曾经生活的在低山河谷，现在已经成了居民点。大熊猫只能生活在竹子可以生长的海拔1200－3400米之间。
目前分布
野外到底有多少只大熊猫？这是一个很难回答的问题。居住在高山区陡坡的密竹林中，大熊猫的统计成为一项很艰苦的工作。在七十年代和八十年代曾经有过两次调查，估计野外有约1000只大熊猫，这个数字可能偏低。大熊猫分布区域内共有37个县，若按主产、一般和少量三级划分，主产县每县约有100只左右，共有7个县；一般产县每县约50只以上，共11个县；少产县每县常在50只以下，计有19个县。据此推算，大熊猫野生数量总计约有一千余只，圈养的数量约为100只AAAZPA Communique，1993）。大熊猫的净生殖率为1.0672，种群增长缓慢（四川省珍贵动物资源调查队，1977；毕凤洲等，1989）。根据国家林业局2006年的调查，目前全国有野生大熊猫1596只，圈养数量161只。大熊猫是熊科家族中最为珍稀，也是受到最大生存威胁的哺乳动物之一。大熊猫生活在中国西南青藏高原东部边缘的温带森林中，竹子是这里主要的林下植物。大熊猫的栖息地集中在六个独立的山系：陕西的秦岭山脉，甘肃和四川的岷山山脉，四川的邛崃，大小相岭和凉山山脉。八十年代调查统计的栖息地的面积约为13000平方公里（Reid and Gong 1999）。根据国家林业局2005年调查报告，现在已经确认将大熊猫秦岭种群认定为大熊猫新亚种。秦岭大熊猫和四川大熊猫在地域上已经分隔5万年之久，外形上秦岭大熊猫头部较圆。目前秦岭大熊猫的数量有273只。在秦岭山区，在黑白色大熊猫中发现过棕色大熊猫。
分类争议
大熊猫的分类地位一直有较大争议，大熊猫的祖先是拟熊类演变而来的始熊猫。现在国际上普遍接受将它列为熊科、大熊猫亚科的分类方法，目前也逐步得到国内的认可。国内传统分类将大熊猫单列为大熊猫科。
adder, viper 蝰蛇
albatross 信天翁
alligator 短吻鳄, 美洲鳄
alpaca 羊驼
anchovy 凤尾鱼
anglerfish 安康鱼
anopheles 按蚊,疟蚊
ant 蚂蚁
anteater 食蚁兽
antilope 羚羊
armadillo 犰狳
ass, donkey 驴
badger 獾
bald eagle 白头鹰
bat 蝙蝠
bear 熊
beaver 河狸
bedbug, bug 臭虫
bee, honeybees 蜜蜂
beetle 甲虫, 金龟子
billy 雄山羊
bird of paradise 极乐鸟, 天堂鸟
bison 美洲野牛
bitch 雌狗
blackbird 乌鸫
boa 王蛇
boar 雄猪, 种猪
brood 鸡的统称
buck 公兔
buffalo 水牛
bull, ox 雄牛
bullfrog 牛蛙
bullock, steer 小阉牛
bumble bee 大黄蜂
butterfly 蝴蝶
cabbage butterfly 纹白蝶
caiman, cayman 凯门鳄
calf 小牛, 牛犊
calf( pl. calves) 年幼的牛
camel 骆驼
canary 金丝雀
carp 鲤鱼
cat 猫
caterpillar 毛虫
catta 雌猫
cattle 牛
centipede 蜈蚣
chaffinch 苍头燕雀
chameleon 变色龙,避役
chick 小鸡
chicken 鸡, 雏鸡
chimpanzee 黑猩猩
chinchilla 南美栗鼠
chub 鲢鱼
cicada 蝉
clam 蚌
cob 雄天鹅
cobra 眼镜蛇
cock 公鸡
cock,rooster 公鸡
cockatoo 大葵花鹦鹉
cockle 鸟蛤
cockroach 蟑螂
cod 鳕鱼
colt, foal 马驹,小马
condor 秃鹰
copperhead 美洲腹蛇
coral snake 银环蛇
cormorant 鸬鹚
cow 雌牛, 母牛
crab 蟹
crayfish 小龙虾, 喇蛄
cricket 蟋蟀
crocodile 鳄鱼, 非洲鳄
crow 乌鸦
crucian 鲫鱼
cuckoo 杜鹃,布谷鸟
cuttloefish 乌贼
cygnet 小天鹅
deer 鹿
dog 狗
dog 雄狗
dolphin 河豚
donkey, ass 驴
dormouse 睡鼠
dove 鸽
dragonfly 蜻蜓
dromedary 单峰驼
drone 雄蜂
duck 鸭
duckbill, platypus 鸭嘴兽
eagle 鹰
eel 鳗鱼
elephant 象
ewe 母羊
ferret 雪貂
flea 跳蚤
flock 绵羊的统称
fly 苍蝇
foal, colt, filly 幼马
fox 狐
frog 青蛙
gaggle 鹅的统称
gander 雄鹅
gander, wild goose 雁
gannet 塘鹅
gavial 印度鳄
gazelle 小羚羊
gelding 阉割的马
giant salamander 娃娃鱼, 鲵
gibbon 长臂猿
gilt 小母猪
giraffe 长颈鹿
glowworm, firefly 萤火虫
goat 山羊
golden eagle 鹫
goldfinch 金翅雀
goose 雌鹅
goose 鹅
gopher 囊地鼠
gorilla 大猩猩
gosling 幼鹅
grass snake 草蛇
grasshopper 蚱蜢
grouse 松鸡
guanaco 原驼
Guinea pig 豚鼠
guinea, fowl 珍珠鸡
gull, seagull 海鸥
hake 无须鳕
hare 野兔
hawk, falcon 隼
hedgehog 刺猬
heifer 小母牛
hen 母鸡
herd 牛的统称
herd 猪的统称
hermit crab 寄居蟹
heron 苍鹰
herring 青鱼, 鲱
hinny 驴骡
hippopotamus 河马
hog 阉猪, 肥猪
horse 马
horsefly, gadfly 厩蝇,牛虻
hummingbird 蜂雀
hyena, hyaena 鬣狗
iguana 鬣蜥
Japanese beetle 日本金龟子
jenny ass 雌驴
kangaroo 袋鼠
kid 年幼的山羊
kingfisher 翠鸟
kite 鹞
kitten 小猫
kitten, kitty, pussy 小猫
koala 考拉, 树袋熊
ladybird 瓢虫
lamb 羊羔,羔羊
large prawn 大对虾
lark 百鸟,云雀
leopard 豹
lion 狮
lizard 蜥蜴
llama 大羊驼
lobster 龙虾
locust 蝗虫
louse, lice 虱子, 白虱
lynx 猞猁
macaw 金刚鹦鹉
mackerel 鲭,鲐
magpie 喜鹊
male ant 雄蚁
mallard 野鸭, 凫
mare 母马
marmot 土拨鼠
moccasin 嗜鱼蛇
mole 鼹鼠
monkey 猴子
mosquito 蚊
moth 蛾
mouse 家鼠
mule 骡
mullet 乌鱼, 黑鱼
mussel 淡菜,贻贝
mustang 野马
mutton 羊肉
nanny 雌山羊
nightingale 夜莺
Norway lobster 蝉虾
octopus 章鱼
orangutan 猩猩
ostrich 鸵鸟
otter 水獭
owl 枭,猫头鹰
ox 牛
oyster 牡蛎
pale clouded yellow 纹黄蝶
panther, puma 美洲豹
parakeet 长尾鹦鹉
parrot 鹦鹉
partridge 石鸡, 鹧鸪
peacock 孔雀
pelican 鹈鹕
penguin 企鹅
perch 鲈鱼
pheasant 雉, 野鸡
pig, swine 猪
pigeon 野鸽
piglet, shoat 年幼的猪
pike 梭子鱼
plaice 鲽
plover 千鸟
pony 矮马
porcupine 箭猪, 豪猪
porpoise 大西洋鼠海豚
poult 小火鸡
prawn 虾
praying mantis 螳螂
ptarmigan 雷鸟
pup 年幼的狗
python 蟒蛇
quail 鹌鹑
queen ant 蚁后
queen bee 蜂王
rabbit 兔
rabbit 兔子
ram 雄绵羊
rat 鼠
rattlesnake 响尾蛇
ray 鳐鱼
red mullet, surmullet 羊鱼
reindeer 驯鹿
rhinoceros 犀牛
robin 知更鸟
sailfish 旗鱼
salamander, triton, newt 蝾螈
salmon 鲑鱼
sardine 沙丁鱼
scallop 扇贝
scops owl 角枭,耳鸟
scorpion 蝎子
sea bream 海鲷
sea horse 海马
sea turtle 海龟
sea urchin 海胆
seal 海豹
shark 鲨鱼
sheep 绵羊
shrimp 对虾
silkworm moth 蚕蛾
silverfish 蠹虫
skipjack 鲣鱼
sloth 獭猴
snail 蜗牛
snake 蛇
snipe 鹬
sole 舌鳎
sow 雌猪
sparrow 麻雀
spider 蜘蛛
spider crab 蜘蛛蟹
spiny lobster, rock lobster 大螯虾
squid 枪乌贼,鱿鱼
squirrel 松鼠
stallion 雄马
starling 八哥
stink bug 椿象
stork 鹳
sturgeon 鲟鱼
sulphur butterfly 白蝴蝶
sunfish 翻车鱼
swallow 燕子
swallowtail 凤尾蝶
swan 天鹅
swift 褐雨燕
swordfish 剑鱼
tabby, she-cat, grimalkin 雌猫
tarantula 多毛毒蜘蛛
tarpon 大海鲢
teal 小野鸭
termite 蚁
thoroughbred 纯种马
thrush 画眉
tiger 虎
toad 蟾蜍
tom 雄火鸡
tomcat 雄猫
tomcat 雄猫, 公猫
tortoise 玳瑁
trout 鳟鱼
tuatara 古蜥蜴
tunny, tuna 金枪鱼
turbot 大菱鲆
turkey 火鸡
turtle 龟
turtle dove 斑鸠
vicuna 小羊驼
vole 田鼠
vulture 秃鹫
wall lizard 壁虎
walrus 海象
wasp 黄蜂, 胡蜂
water buffalo 水牛
weasel 鼬,黄鼠狼
whale 鲸
white ant 白蚁
whitethroat 白喉雀
whiting 小无须鳕
wiggler 孑孓
wildcat 野猫
wolf 狼
woodcock 山鹬
woodpecker 啄木鸟
worker ant 工蚁
yak 牦牛
yak 牦牛
zebra 斑马
horse 马 stallion 雄马
mare 雌马
foal, colt, filly 幼马
gelding 阉割的马
donkey, ass 驴
donkey 雄驴
jenny ass 雌驴
hinny 驴骡
mule 马骡
cattle 牛
bull, ox 雄牛
cow 雌牛
calf( pl. calves) 年幼的牛
herd 牛的统称
water buffalo 水牛
yak 牦牛
sheep 绵羊
ram 雄绵羊
ewe 雌绵羊
lamb 年幼的绵羊
flock 绵羊的统称
mutton 羊肉
goat 山羊
billy 雄山羊
nanny 雌山羊
kid 年幼的山羊
pig 猪
boar 雄猪
sow 雌猪
piglet, shoat 年幼的猪
herd 猪的统称
dog 狗
dog 雄狗
***** 雌狗
puy 年幼的狗
rabbit 兔
buck 公兔
goose 鹅
gander 雄鹅
goose 雌鹅
gosling 幼鹅
gaggle 鹅的统称
chicken 鸡
cock, rooster 公鸡
hen 母鸡
chick 小鸡
brood 鸡的统称
duck 鸭
turkey 火鸡
tom 雄火鸡
poult 小火鸡
cat 猫
tomcat 雄猫
catta 雌猫
kitten 小猫 Zoology
horse 马
mare 母马
colt, foal 马驹,小马
pony 矮马
thoroughbred 纯种马
mustang 野马
mule 骡
ass, donkey 驴
ox 牛
buffalo 水牛
bull 公牛
cow 母牛
calf 小牛, 牛犊
bullock, steer 小阉牛
heifer 小母牛
pig, swine 猪
boar 种猪
hog 阉猪, 肥猪
gilt 小母猪
piglet 猪崽
sheep 羊
ewe 母羊
goat 山羊
lamb 羊羔,羔羊
zebra 斑马
antelope 羚羊
gazelle 小羚羊
deer 鹿
reindeer 驯鹿
giraffe 长颈鹿
camel 骆驼
dromedary 单峰驼
llama 大羊驼
guanaco 原驼
alpaca 羊驼
vicuna 小羊驼
elephant 象
rhinoceros 犀牛
hippopotamus 河马
cat 猫
tabby, she-cat, grimalkin 雌猫
tomcat 雄猫, 公猫
kitten, kitty, pussy 小猫
lion 狮
lynx 猞猁
panther, puma 美洲豹
leopard 豹
tiger 虎
wildcat 野猫
bison 美洲野牛
yak 牦牛
dog 狗
badger 獾
weasel 鼬,黄鼠狼
otter 水獭
fox 狐
hyena, hyena 鬣狗
wolf 狼
squirrel 松鼠
dormouse 睡鼠
beaver 河狸
marmot 土拨鼠
ferret 雪貂
bear 熊
rabbit 兔子
hare 野兔
rat 鼠
chinchilla 南美栗鼠
gopher 囊地鼠
Guinea pig 豚鼠
marmot 土拨鼠
mole 鼹鼠
mouse 家鼠
vole 田鼠
monkey 猴子
chimpanzee 黑猩猩
gorilla 大猩猩
orangutan 猩猩
gibbon 长臂猿
sloth 獭猴
anteater 食蚁兽
duckbill, platypus 鸭嘴兽
kangaroo 袋鼠
koala 考拉, 树袋熊
hedgehog 刺猬
porcupine 箭猪, 豪猪
bat 蝙蝠
armadillo 犰狳
whale 鲸
dolphin 河豚
porpoise 大西洋鼠海豚
seal 海豹
walrus 海象
1 The Felidae Family
Acinonyx jubatus (Cheetah)
Range and Habitat
Cheetahs range in the savanna regions of sub-Saharan Africa, and east of the rainforests in central Africa. A small population of approximately 200 cheetahs also occur in the Caspian Sea area in the countries of Iran, Turkey and Turkmenistan. Their range used to extend farther east to the Middle East and India, but have been eliminated and are thought to be extinct in these countries. The largest cheetah population exists in Namibia, with an estimated 2,000-3,000 cheetahs. However, even here their future is not secure, because Namibian farmers loose 10% of their livestock to cheetahs.
Physical Appearance
The cheetah is the most canid of all felines. They are adapted for running very fast. Males are slightly larger than the females. Cheetahs are shaped very differently from other felines. They have long, thin legs; a very lithe body (the same tapering shape as a greyhound); a very small and rounded head; and a very long thin tail that the cheetah uses as a balance when it runs. The cheetah has a yellowish-tawny-golden color coat with white underbody and face, and solid black spots all over its body, and a thick black tear stripe that runs from the inside corner of its eyes to its mouth. Their canine teeth are proportionately small for a cat, in order to make room for their enlarged nasal passages. Cheetahs claws don't retract completely, and their feet are wider in relation to their body size. The soles of their feet are covered with rough scaly pads, in order to grip the ground while they run. All these characteristics help to make the cheetah the fastest land animal on the planet.
Unfortunately, though the cheetah's body was designed for speed, it was not designed for endurance, it is a sprint runner. Cheetahs can only keep up their fastest pace (70 mph) for 400 yards before their body overheats and their muscles begin to tire and produce lactic acid from exhaustion. In fact, the cheetah's body temperature can rise to over 105 degrees Fahrenheit, a fatal temperature. In order to help them get enough air to their huge lungs while they run, their nasal passage is very large and short. Their heart, lungs, bronchial tubes, and adrenal glands are larger, which also aid in the circulation of oxygen rich blood to the muscles.
The cheetah is poetry in motion when it runs. It has an extremely flexible spine, which it can flex and twist to increase its stride up to 20 feet in a single bound! Its hip, ankle, wrist and shoulder joints are also very flexible, as the cheetah sprints and dodges in numerous angles to catch its prey, and needs to be able to maneuver in a split second. The long thick tail acts as a rudder, and by flailing the tail around the cheetah can steer itself at very high speeds.
They are very easy to distinguish from the other large African spotted cat, the leopard, because they look so different. They have spots, whereas the leopard has rosettes. The cheetah is much smaller and thinner, and its legs are longer and very thin, where the leopard is much heavier and more muscular with proportionately shorter legs. The cheetah's head and muzzle is more rounded and smaller than the leopards, and the leopard can jump up in trees and stalk on the ground, whereas the cheetah is restricted to staying on the ground.
2 The Felidae Family
King Cheetah
For years, strangely marked skins from cheetahs have come out of Africa, as well as reports of a strangely-marked giant cheetah. In 1975, in Kruger Park, South Africa, cryptozoologists Paul and Lena Bottriell observed and photographed a king cheetah. It was larger than a normal cheetah, and had strange blotchy markings on its body. They were able to obtain mounted specimens of these creatures to study.
At first, people felt that this new animal was a hybrid cheetah-leopard cross. Some king cheetahs were captured, and genetic tests done on them determined that this was false. The unusual coat pattern was caused by a recessive allele (gene), which was known as the "tabby gene", because the same gene in domestic cats controls the tabby markings on them. King cheetahs are the same species, and can interbreed with normal cheetahs and produce fertile young of both types. King cheetahs can breed with each other and produce fertile young of both sexes. And king cheetahs can be born to a normal cheetah pair. The king cheetah is not a subspecies of cheetah, but unusually marked indivuduals within a population. The king cheetah turns up in clumps within populations, and are widespread throughout Africa.
In 1981, in the DeWildt cheetah center in South Africa, a "king" cheetah was born. It was the first king cheetah born in captivity. They have the same body structures as a normal cheetah, but the markings are bigger and all the spots are connected in a blotchy pattern. This new mutation is giving biologists hope, as they believe that such mutations may mean that the cheetah is beginning to regain some genetic diversity. Such mutations rarely exist in the wild, but they have been seen.
Diet and Hunting Behavior
Cheetahs prefer to eat small ungulates: the Thompson's gazelle, Grant's gazelle, impala; and even occasionally rabbits. The cheetah eats as much of the prey it caught as it can, and does not return to its kills because it cannot defend them. The cheetah trades speed for strength. It hunts during the day so as not to come into contact with more nocturnal predators as lions and hyenas, who kill their cubs and eat them, and will kill the mother if they can catch her. The cheetah is the most successful solitary hunter, succeeding in up to 70% of their hunts. This is due to the fact that the cheetah is specialized, and by no means reflects on the cheetahs ability to catch a wide variety of prey. The only other hunter that is more successful than the cheetah is the African wild dog, which is the most successful cooperative hunter, catching up to 80% of their hunts.
Cheetahs hunt by sight, sometimes standing atop termite mounds to survey their surroundings. Once the desired prey is sighted, the cheetah silently stalks it, until it is within 50 - 100 yards of it. Then it explodes into action, and chases its prey across the savannah. The cheetah's very flexible spine allows it the greatest running stride of all the big cats. It uses its long tail to balance it while it chases down its prey. And its extremely flexible hips allow it to make sharp turns. Once the prey is within reach, the cheetah uses its front paws to try and knock the legs out from under it. It then kills its prey by a choke hold from their small canines. During the hunt, they run so fast that their body temperature can reach up to 105 degrees farenheight, which can kill. So they can run very fast but don't have very good endurance. Unfortunately, after all this effort, the exhausted and overheated cheetah usually cannot eat, because larger predators can easily take it away from the tired cheetah, who even if she wasn't exhausted form the chase could not defend her food from them. Unlike most other carnivores, cheetahs never scavenge. They must eat fresh killed meat.
3 The Felidae Family
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Females reach sexual maturity at 2-3 years, and males at 3 years. Mating can take place year-round, but peaks during the rainy season (November to May). Like most cats, cheetahs are mating-induced ovulators, which means that they do not ovulate until after mating has occurred. In order for mating to take place, the female cheetah lays down and raises her rear end in the air, in a position called lordosis. The male cheetah's penis, like all carnivores, has a bone called the baculum, which serves to stimulate the female cheetah's vaginal wall. Also on the male cheetah's penis are tiny backwards facing spines, which are found only in the cat family. They are believed to provide stimulation for ovulation. The act of copulation itself lasts only a minute or two at most. They may mate several times a day, and the oestrus period, or receptive time of the female, lasts up to fourteen days.
After a gestation period of 90 - 98 days, she gives birth to 1-3 cubs in a burrow made in thick grass. The cubs weigh 250 - 300 g (8.8 - 10.6 oz) when they are born. They stay in the burrow for 8 weeks. During this time, the mother moves her cubs constantly to avoid detection by predators. Their first teeth come in at 3-6 weeks of age, and are replaced by adult teeth by 8 months old. Until the cubs are 3 months old, they are covered with a long, fuzzy grey coat, which gradually falls out and their sleek, spotted coats fill in. This unusual coloration is thought to be camouflage for the cubs. Cubs are weaned at 4 months old, but continue to stay with their mother until they are about a year and a half old. During this time they are taught how to hunt. Infant mortality rate is 71% before 2 months, and 95% from two months to 1 year old. The high infant mortality rate is due to starvation, disease, and predation by lions, baboons and hyenas. Those that do survive take 1 1/2 years to mature, and in that time they stick with their mother to learn how to hunt. She will not breed until her cubs either all leave her or die. Cheetahs can live for up to 15 years in the wild.
Social Behavior
Cheetahs are generally solitary and diurnal (active in the daytime) by nature, but they are actually more social than most felids, except the lion. They are most active during the daytime to aviod conflict with the more nocturnal lion and hyena, which are the cheetah's main enemies besides man. Females are usually found alone escept when she has young, and males live in coalitions of two to five members, trios being the most common. In areas of eastern and southern Africa, where other large predators have been eradicated, cheetahs are often seen in groups of 14 - 19 individuals. The males and females only get together to breed. After conception, the males leave the females and rejoin their coalitions. In these coalitions, the males live and hunt together, protecting one another from lions and hyenas, and providing food for everyone in the coalition, since it is easier to hunt in a group. Coalitions of cheetahs also have better success rates in establishing and maintaining a territory, and finding mates. Sometimes, a small family group consisting of males and females form. They hunt together as well, and are more successful than loners. The practice mutual grooming, which establishes bonds between members of the coalition. All cheetahs, whether they are the members of a coalition, or the lone cheetah, regularly mark off their home ranges with urine.
4 The Felidae Family
Cheetahs communicate with each other using a variety of sounds. Cheetahs don't meow, but they do chirp and squeak. Mother cheetahs chirp to call their young. They also purr to show contentment and growl to show aggression. Cheetahs also communicate using body language, like other cats. Flattened ears and bared teeth mean aggression, and this is accentuated by white spots on the backs of black ears.
Threats
All cheetahs are endangered due to excessive hunting for their skins, and severely inbred because of a plague that swept across Africa in the last Ice age over 10,000 years ago, leaving only a few thousand cheetahs. The animals also have a low recovery rate, and were unable to mutate to produce a more genetically stable population. Those that survived and dodged the bullets of hunters were responsible for perpetuation of the species. Because there was such a small gene pool left, all African cheetahs today are descended from these few hundred cheetahs, so most are related. This can be proven by comparing coat patterns. All marked animals (those with spots, rosettes, or stripes) have their own unique patterns. Several cheetahs have shown similar, if not near identical, coat patterns; even those that are several thousands of miles apart. Biologists have also noticed that skin grafts between unrelated cheetahs in zoos take, instead of being rejected as they normally would. Thus, the world of the cheetah looks very dim, as no new genetic material can be introduced. Cheetahs have a sperm count that is 90% lower than a tiger or lion, and on top of that, 75% of the sperm are abnormal, having multiple tails, no tail, multiple heads, and even no heads. Captive breeding programs have not been successful, as cheetahs will not readily breed in captivity, and unfortunately, the offspring produced usually die.
Cheetahs are also threatened by lions, who will kill adult cheetahs if they can catch them, and kill their cubs when they find them hidden in the grass. Lions and hyenas also steal the cheetah's kills, and since the cheetah is smaller, weaker, and cannot rick any physical damage, must relinquish its hard-earned kill.
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