Cheetahs

Cheetahs
Scientific name	Acinonyx jubatus raineyii Acinonyx jubatus venaticus
Lifespan	10 - 12 years (in the wild)
Diet	Carnivorous
Weight	Male: 48 kg Female: 43 kg
Height	80 - 90 cm (Adult, At Shoulder)
Length	1.1 - 1.4 m
Conservation	Vulnerable (Cheetah) Endangered (formerly) Critically Endangered (Asiatic Cheetah)

“	I'm a cheetah. Cheetahs don't get worn out.	”
–Fuli, The Search for Utamu

Cheetahs are felines that appear in The Lion Guard universe. They live in the Pride Lands, the Desert and the Tree of Life.

Appearance 

In the Real World

Cheetahs are large-sized felines with slim builds and long limbs. In comparison to the leopard, they are somewhat short-bodied, though they are taller and more streamlined. Their fur is colored a light gold and spotted with black splotches, usually 2 or 3 centimeters across. Their underside, however, is white and has no spots. Adults can grow to be up to 94 centimeters high and 135 centimeters long. Cheetahs averagely weigh in-between 36 and 65kgs.

In The Lion Guard

Cheetahs in The Lion Guard are quite similar to their real-life counterparts, except missing the cheetah tearmarks.

Information

Cheetahs have a wide range among Africa and southwestern Asia. They require a large amount of space as well as consistent access to a steady prey source. Though somewhat picky about their habitat, cheetahs have been known to live in a variety of different environments, such as grasslands, the open savanna, and mountainous areas.

Cheetahs, particularly females, are solitary creatures and require their own territory. Females tend to live on their own, with the exception of raising cubs, while males commonly form small groups, called "coalitions." When raising cubs, a mother will stay with her offspring for about eighteen months in order to teach them how to hunt and fight. After eighteen months, she will leave them and they will live together for another six months in a sibling group. After six months, the female cubs will leave the group and the males will stick together for life.

The cheetah is by far the fastest land animal, able to reach speeds of up to 75mph in a short 20sec burst. They are sprinters that can cover up to 1,600 feet in one sprint and can go from 0 to 100mph in about three seconds. But despite their natural ability in running, their stamina is quite low.

Only one chase in three ends up as a meal for cheetahs. This is because hyenas and lions can steal their kill. Cheetahs wear their prey out with a chase before chowing down.

History

The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar

When Kion the lion cub becomes the leader of the Lion Guard, he recruits his friend Fuli the cheetah as the group's fastest member. Simba at first doesn't approve, but Fuli and the rest of the Guard prove their worth by fighting away Janja's clan and driving them out of the Pride Lands.

The Lion Guard

Fuli the cheetah appears in every episode of the show.

Fuli's New Family

Timon asks Fuli if she's going to go eat with her cheetah family. She responds that female cheetahs hunt alone, and Timon, believing her words to be the saddest he's ever heard, insists that she has dinner with him and his family.

The Search for Utamu

In response to Kion's worries about her overexerting herself, Fuli tells him that cheetahs don't get worn out. Ono begins to correct her, explaining that cheetahs actually do get worn out, but when she glares at him, he contradicts himself.

Later, as Fuli rests, Mzingo's committee spots her. Mzingo remarks that she doesn't seem to be aware of a cheetah's limits, and Mwoga wonders if she knows that cheetahs can only go for so long without tiring

Baboons!

When a baby baboon is being chased by valtures the guard safes it. Fuli the cheat is tasked to take the baboon home to it's mother who lives in Mapango Cliffs. On her journey Fuli questions why they can't see eye to eye. When she gets the baboon home Mizngo's commitee chases him but Fuli attacks Mzingo and the baby baboon is save at home. 

The Wisdom of Kongwe

Fuli talks to Makini and Kongwe and explains that  she sees things when she's going faster. 

Cave of Secrets

For Fuli's test she had to try and move a big bolder before it ran over the Lion Guard and Makini. She tries to slow the bolder down but that doesn't work so she makes it go faster. 

The Queen's Visit

When Queen Dhahabu and her Herd come into the Pride Lands Fuli becomes her guard for the day along with Tiifu and Zuri 

The Race to Tuliza

While getting tuliza that Kion needs. Fuli meets a male cheetah named Azaad. 

Journey to the Pride Lands

Azzad shows Jasiri, Janja and the Lion Guard back home to the Pride Lands.

Notable Cheetahs in The Lion Guard

• Azaad
• Fuli
• Male Cheetah

Trivia

• Like lions, leopards and tigers, female cheetahs have no whiskers, but male cheetahs do.
• Cheetahs are featured in two It’s UnBungalievable! shorts Who's Quicker? and Who's Cuter?.
• Cheetahs are the only cats in the genus Acinonyx because they do not have retractable claws like other cats.