KIDS
CheeTah
The cheetah is the fastest mammal on earth, not even Brian Habana could beat him. Do you know
that the cheetah can run at speeds of between 112 to 120km/h per hour! But he can't run very
far so he runs for short bursts and then has to stop but these short bursts are enough for him
to catch his prey. He is so quick that he can reach 100km/h in just 3 seconds ask dad if
his car can do that!
The cheetah always looks like he is crying with his tear marks that run from the corner
of his eyes to the tip of his nose. But these aren't tears they are actually used to deflect the
sunlight and to help him see better. He also has a big claw on his foot called a dewclaw,
which he uses to trip his prey.
Cheetahs aren't like lions they don't live in prides, in fact they prefer to live
alone. Even the mommy cheetah will only live with her babies until they are old
enough to hunt on their own. The cheetah is also a spotty cat and his spots are
the best way to identify him in the bush his spots and of course his tears and his
super long legs and a tail that has little rings at the end of it.
Did you know that an adult cheetah can weigh between 21 76kg?
LeoparD
The leopard is also a big cat but unlike his friend the lion who is the biggest he is the smallest of the big cats. He is
very common in South Africa and will often be seen lying in a tree. That is if you are lucky enough to spot one as they
are very shy and are excellent at playing hide and seek.
The leopard is a fat cat with short legs and beautiful spots or what are better known as rosettes. He is an
exceptionally pretty cat and unlike the cheetah with his long out of proportion legs, the leopard is perfectly in proportion.
Did you know the leopard can run at speeds up to 58km/h, climb trees and jump really well?
You will often see a leopard dragging his prey into a tree where he will lie with it for hours as he eats at his own leisure!
He isn't fussy either and if he can kill it he will eat it. They are also found in most parts of Africa but most of them prefer to
live down here in sub-Saharan Africa.
Did you know the leopard mostly likes to hunt at night? What is it called when you stay awake at night? Well its nocturnal
of course.
CaraCaL
The caracal is the one cat that looks the most like your kitty at home. His name means black ears and its
appropriate. Why? Because his long ears are black with little black tufts at the top of both of them.
Do you know what the Afrikaans word for caracal is? Well it is Rooikat or red cat because he is reddish in
colour! Some farmers think this little guy is a real pest and many of them shoot them because they like to snack on
chickens, sheep and even goats.
He might be small but the caracal is a heavy little cat. The boy cats look just like the girl cats and don't have a
mane to differentiate them from the girls. Did you know that the male caracal can weigh between 13 19kgs and the
female between 6 12kgs?
Caracals are said to be a wine-red grey or a sandy brown in colour, they have little black spots above the eyes and
small white patches around the eyes and the nose. Their tummies are mostly white. His eyes are also circles and not little
slits like your tabby cat, which is very different from all cats. He is also very easy to tame and people have them as pets!
Did you know that the caracal can catch a bird in flight?
LeT'S LooK aT eaCh biG CaTS paw priNT
LioN
CheeTah
CaraCaL
LeoparD
Learn all there is about the African cats
and at the same time see them in the wild,
by signing up for the Kwa Maritane and
Bakubung Junior Rangers Programme today!
You can sign up at legacyhotels.com
LEGACY JUNIOR RANGERS PROGRAMME