4th December: International Cheetah Day

International Cheetah Day has been observed since 2012, when the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) declared it in order to raise awareness about these endangered animals. Their population is declining due to habitat loss. Here are some facts about cheetahs.

1. Their scientific name is Acinonyx jubatus, which means 'no-move-claw' in Greek. This is because cheetahs can't retract their claws like other cats. The common name, cheetah, comes from a Sanskrit word meaning "bright" or "variegated".
2. Cheetahs are the fastest land animals in the world. They can run as fast as 70 mph/113 km/h, and can reach that speed in about three seconds. They have large nostrils and enlarged hearts and lungs to help them run this fast. Its non-retractable claws help the cheetah maintain traction on the ground, and their tails help with balance. They use their tails like rudders so they can change direction in mid run. They can't keep it up for long, however. They tire quickly, so will stalk their prey, hiding in long grass and behind termite mounds, until they are about 20 feet away. Then it will take around 20 seconds to catch a meal, being successful about 50% of the time.
3. Their night vision isn't any better than ours, so they hunt during the day. Their daytime vision is very good - they can spot prey up to 5km away. They prefer to hunt in the early morning and evening. Not only is the light good at those times, but Lions are less active. Lions, and indeed hyenas and leopards, have been known to drive the cheetahs away from their kill and polish it off. Being smaller and lighter than most predators the cheetahs eat quickly, and should a larger animal come sniffing around, will give up their meal rather than fight for it.
4. A cheetah only needs to drink every four or five days.
5. Cheetahs are smaller than other members of the big cat family, weighing only 45 – 60 kilograms.
6. Cheetahs have between 2,000 and 3,000 spots. The coat markings are unique to individuals as are the ring markings on their tails. A few have cream-coloured fur marked with large, blotchy spots and three dark, wide stripes extending from their neck to the tail. These individuals are called King Cheetahs and their markings are the result of a mutation. All cheetahs have a thick Black line running from the inside corners of their eyes down the side of their nose to their mouths, resembling black tears. These reflect the sunlight while the animal is hunting.
7. Most big cats roar. Cheetahs don't - but they do purr like domestic Cats. They are most likely to purr while in the company of other cheetahs.
8. Adult male cheetahs often form groups called "coalitions", usually with brothers from the same litter, but lone males may join groups as well. The females are more solitary, except when they have cubs. Female cheetahs are devoted mothers. They move their cubs to new hiding places every few days - which is necessary since cub mortality can be as high as 90% due to predators such as lions, hyenas and baboons. Cubs typically stay with their mothers for one and a half to two years.
9. Cheetahs cannot climb trees.
10. Royalty and aristocracy in Egypt and other parts of Africa kept cheetahs as pets. Reliefs in the Deir el-Bahari temple complex depict an expedition of Egyptians to the Land of Punt to collect various animals to take back for the Pharaoh, including cheetahs, which they called "panthers of the north". Some were kept as exotic pets with jewelled collars and leashes while others were trained to hunt for their owners. Hence an alternative name for the cheetah is "hunting leopard". The Mughal ruler Akbar the Great is said to have owned as many as 1000 cheetahs.

New!

Jack Ward, President of Innovia, owes his life twice over to the enigmatic superhero, dubbed Power Blaster by the press. No-one knows who Power Blaster is or where he comes from - and he wants it to stay that way.

Scientist Desi Troyes has developed a nuclear bomb to counter the ever present threat of an asteroid hitting the planet. When Ward signs the order giving the go ahead for a nuclear test on the remote Bird Island, he has no inkling of Troyes' real agenda, and that he has signed the death warrants of millions of people.

Although the island should have been evacuated, there are people still there: some from the distant continent of Classica; protesters opposed to the bomb test; and Innovians who will not, or cannot, use their communication devices.

Power Blaster knows he must stop the bomb from hitting the island. He also knows it may be the last thing he ever does.

Meanwhile in Innovia, Ward and his staff gather to watch the broadcast of the test. Nobody, not even Troyes himself, has any idea what is about to happen.

Part One of The Raiders Trilogy.

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