Scovone Star Magazine 2014-2015 | Page 29

Cheetahs SOPHIE CELESTE Baby cheetahs The animal that lives life in the fast lane You're survive in the wild. Some of the cheetah’s adaptations help them fit in with their surroundings. Some of their adaptations that help them fit in with their surroundings are that cheetah’s have "tear lines"  that protect their eyes from the harsh savanna sun. Their "tear lines" are black and go from their eyes to their mouth. They also help them see long distances and it helps them camouflage. A cheetahs brown fur helps it camouflage against the tall and brown savanna grasses. In the savanna there a cheetah searching the dry savanna grassland plains for a bite to eat. Suddenly you see a heard of antelopes feeding on some grass nearby. You get within 50 feet of your prey and then BOOM you’re off in a chase for your prey that will last less than 1 minute. You could fail to get your prey or be rewarded with a nice fat a n t e l o p e. H ow e l s e d o cheetahs survive in the wild? Adaptations The cheetah has a lot of great adaptations that help it ANIMALS sometimes is not enough water, so the cheetah has an adaptation that it only has to drink every 3 to 4 days. Another big part of how cheetahs survive is how their anatomy is adapted to help them survive in their habitat. Some of their anatomy’s adaptations are that cheetahs have large lungs and a very powerful heart which helps them to run at top speed by taking in large amounts of oxygen at a time. The cheetah has a flexible spine that acts like a spring giving the cheetah more power. 24