How Fast Can a Cheetah Run? Secrets You Should Know

It is a very commonly known fact that Cheetahs are the fastest animals on earth. They can run up to 122km per hour which is 76mph. Can you imagine how fast is that? 

The mentioned speed is the highest and it occurs sometimes not always. The average speeds of Cheetahs are 40 mph or 64 km per hour. But they can quickly accelerate their speed. 

You must have heard about Sarah, the fastest Cheetah to date who had a record of 98 km per hour which means 61 mph. Sarah made this record in Cincinnati zoo, Ohio during a 100-meter dash. Sarah left this world in 2016, January at the age of 15. 

How fast can a Cheetah run and what are the reasons behind Cheetahs Run so fast

As we all know Cheetahs are terrific runners and are often compared with greyhounds for their very similar build. Now let’s find what makes Cheetahs run so fast and the logistical advantages they have behind the such powerful speed. 

• The legs are an advantage to Cheetahs. The long and thin legs help in wind resistance. The wind resistance is possible also because of the small head and the flat rib cage. They can be thin and long but that’s what makes them super powerful. The average weight of an adult Cheetah is about 160 lbs and 4ft 11 inches in height. 
• The tails of Cheetahs are very helpful as it plays a role of a rudder to stabilize and steer the body. They have 31 inches long tails. 
• Cheetahs have very hard footpads as well as semi-retractable claws to have the proper grip on the ground. The perfect ground grip helps them to stay on their feet.
• Most of the time Cheetahs are running so all four paws are off the ground. This is a very similar habit to the animals like greyhounds and horses. 
• You might be thinking about how they get so much strength in such sleek bodies. But that’s the secret. The skeletal structure is the key to them being the fastest animals on earth. They have loose shoulder blades, very flexible hips, and spine, and such a combination makes the Cheetahs as energetic as springs. 
• Cheetahs also have enlarged lungs, hearts, and nasal passages so that they get a sufficient oxygen supply while running. Hence they don’t get out of breath easily.

How fast can a Cheetah run and how long they can keep up the speed?

Needless to say, Cheetahs are the powerhouse of energy and can keep up with their highest speed for a very long. They can cover a distance of 0.28 miles in just 13 seconds. The average running speed of a cheetah is 40 mph or 640km per hour. They take 13 seconds to cover 0.28 miles. They take 25 seconds to cover the average speed of 40 mph for 0.28 miles. If we calculate the same numbers in metric it will be 122km per hour for 0.45 km and 64 km per hour for 0.45 km. 

How fast can a Cheetah run and how fast can accelerate speed?

The average acceleration from 0 to 60 mph can be done in about 3 seconds for Cheetahs. So it is very evident that they can accelerate the speed very quickly. The world’s fastest cars are often compared to the speed of Cheetahs. They can just not accelerate the speed but can also decelerate very quickly. They can come down from 60 mph to 14 mph in just three strides. Few other big cats are often compared to Cheetahs and their speed. The animals are Jaguar, Lion, Cougar, Tiger, etc. 

Summary

Cheetahs are terrific runners and are often compared with greyhounds for their very similar build. It is a very commonly known fact that Cheetahs are the fastest animals on earth. They can run up to 122km per hour which is 76mph. The long and thin legs help in wind resistance. The wind resistance is possible also because of the small head and the flat rib cage. The tails of Cheetahs are very helpful as it plays the role of a rudder to stabilize and steer the body. They have 31 inches long tails. They have very hard footpads as well as semi-retractable claws to have the proper grip on the ground. The skeletal structure is the key to them being the fastest animals on earth. They have loose shoulder blades, very flexible hips, and spine, and such a combination makes the Cheetahs as energetic as springs. They can cover a distance of 0.28 miles in just 13 seconds. The average running speed of a cheetah is 40 mph or 640km per hour. They take 13 seconds to cover 0.28 miles. They take 25 seconds to cover the average speed of 40 mph for 0.28 miles.

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