What most people already know about cheetahs is that they’re the fastest animals in the world and not a lot more. As we are about to find out, however, there is so much more to this beautiful creature than speed. As members of the Felidae family, cheetahs are pretty much big cats in every sense of the word, seeing how they are closely related to bobcats, lynxes, pumas, and of course, house cats. In fact, were they a bit smaller, they would definitely be adopted as pets, because believe it or not, cheetahs are extremely docile animals. Let us then find out ten really interesting facts about cheetahs most people probably don’t know.
10Their numbers are going down
What’s sad about cheetahs as animals is that according to research, their numbers are going down on a global scale. This is because the species suffered a genetic bottleneck during the last ice age, meaning that at some point in the past, they were subjected to quite a bit of inbreeding. Because of this, most male cheetahs today suffer from a low sperm count while the females will often be unable to reproduce. The cheetah may be the fastest land animal but it is also one of the fastest disappearing species worldwide.
