Trivia question for Mar-12-2011

I was wondering when Carter and Olivia would ask if they could feature this next guest on their daily trivia.  Cheetah’s have long held a special place in their hearts and it is because of the Cheetah that they started OMG in the first place.  So here is Carter’s edition of our OMG trivia:

We all know Cheetah’s are the fastest land animal, reaching speeds between 70 and 75 mph in short bursts covering distances up to 1,600 ft.  They have the ability to accelerate from 0 to over 62 mph in three seconds (I’ld take one of these cats over a Porsche any day).  At full stretch, it can cover almost 33-feet in a single stride.

Cheetah’s are found in parts of western, eastern and southern Africa and an Asian subspecies still survives in Iran.  In eastern and southern Africa, Cheetah populations are stable and in some areas limited hunting is permitted but in the western part of Africa, Cheetah numbers are dwindling.  The main treat is loss of habitat and a lost of prey.  Illegal hunting for their fur is still prominent in some regions.

The Cheetah makes facial expressions, using the bold black lines around its muzzle to signal its mood.  The Cheetah has larger litters than other big cats, but on the average, only two cubs live into adulthood.  There are five subspecies of Cheetah, four in Africa and one in Iran.

The rarest subspecies is the King Cheetah.  The King Cheetah is a rare mutation of cheetah characterized by a distinct fur pattern. It was first noted in what was then Southern Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe) in 1926.

So here are Carter’s questions.  Approximately how many Asian subspecies of cheetah are thought to live in Iran, and tell us what naturalist speculate is the reason that Cheetah cubs are born with long grey fur.

Good Luck 😉

BTW, here are pictures of Carter and Olivia’s Cheetah’s which they adopt every year.

Answer:

Congratulations to Gina for getting our trivia answered first.  Of the two subspecies of Cheetah in the Iran region, it is estimated that there are less than 250 Asiatic Cheetah’s left in the wild.  It is speculated that the reason Cheetah cubs are born with the odd looking long grey fur is to mimic the Ratel, a fierce relative of the badger that few dare attack. (The ratel, or honey badger, is one of the fiercest, most predatory animals on the planet. They prey upon many animals, including scorpions, porcupines, tortoises, crocodiles, and snakes)

Here is more on the Cheetah:  Cheetah

Thanks for playing along 😉