The Official Houston Zoo Blog

Cheetahs are unique among the cats in so many ways, both in their anatomy and behavior.

Cheetahs hunt during the day, which is not common it cats. Daytime hunting requires excellent eyesight and cheetahs have large, high set eyes that are amazingly acute. Our cheetahs here at the zoo often spot the smallest amount of movement far across the zoo way before we see it.

Dark stripes, resembling tear marks, run from the eye down to the muzzle. Many believe that the purpose of these stripes is to help them see better, similar to the black marks ball players will put under their eyes to reduce glare. This unique marking is the sure-fire way to tell a cheetah from another spotted cat like a leopard or jaguar.

More Posts Like This!

• Cool Cheetah Adaptation #17: Feet All of you know now that the cheetah is the world’s fastest land mammal, able to run up over 65...
• Cue the Cheetah Cam! Hey, that’s a little close, watch out for the — Don’t worry, no cheetahs or cameras were harmed in this...
• Are they tame? We get this question a lot when we are out working with the cheetahs. Maybe you’ve wondered it yourself when...
• Cheetah Profile: Kito I was browsing a recent coworker’s blog entry and saw suggestions in several comments that we provide more in-depth info...
• SOS Cheetah Part 3: Return of the Cheetah Cam One of the highlights of SOS Cheetah was the lure course – here you can see some great footage of the...