sierraclub.org - sierra magazine - nov/dec 2012 - animal-families - animal families: cheetah babies
Photography by Suzi Eszterhas | Text by Della Watson
Young cheetah cubs appear almost like chicks before they've opened their eyes. "A cheetah's den is called a 'nest,' and they do literally chirp like birds," Eszterhas says. Cheetahs typically have three to six cubs per litter, but their mortality rate is alarmingly high. Although adult cheetahs can outrun any other land animal on the planet, the cubs aren't as fast, and they face predation from jackals, birds of prey, hyenas, leopards, and lions, among other animals.