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The bony labyrinth surrounds the soft tissues of the inner ear and can be used as a proxy for investigating the shape and dimensions of this organ. The inner ear, located in the petrosal bone at the base of the occipital region, plays a primary role in detecting head movements (accelerations and decelerations in both linear and rotational directions – pitch, yaw, and roll) and directly guiding the eyes and neck muscles in order to maintain posture and stabilize balance and gaze (e.g., vestibulo-ocular reflex 11, 12). No prior study has investigated the sensory capacities of cheetahs through analyses of the anatomy of their intracranial organs, including the inner ear, which facilitates their remarkable capacity of maintaining visual and postural stability while running and capturing prey at high speeds, a key feature in the hunting specialization of the modern cheetah species. The genome sequence of cheetahs also revealed positive selection of genes mediating energy metabolism and regulating muscle contraction, involved in their high-speed adaptations 10. Because of this distinctive hunting strategy, the species evolved an array of morphological characteristics related to fast motion and enhanced predatory performance 3, 6– 9. Given its lightly-built body compared to other felids, the cheetah captures medium-sized prey, weighing only 23 to 56 kg on average, which limits the risk of injuries and provides enough time for the animal to eat before the arrival of kleptoparasites such as lions, leopards, hyaenas or vultures 4, 5. The species usually hunts swift ungulates such as gazelles, antelopes, and impalas by chasing them at high speeds, knocking them over, and biting their throats until they suffocate 3, 4. Over short distances, cheetahs can reach a maximum speed of 25.9–29 m/s 1, 2. The cheetah Acinonyx jubatus is a large, anatomically-specialized, cursorial felid carnivoran, and the fastest living land mammal. pardinensis, that went extinct about 126,000 years ago, demonstrating that the unique and highly specialized inner ear of the sole living species of cheetah likely evolved extremely recently, possibly later than the middle Pleistocene. These features are not present in the fossil cheetah A. These distinctive attributes (i.e., one of the greatest volumes of the vestibular system, dorsal extension of the anterior and posterior semicircular canals) correlate with a greater afferent sensitivity of the inner ear to head motions, facilitating postural and visual stability during high-speed prey pursuit and capture. We demonstrate that the vestibular system of modern cheetahs is extremely different in shape and proportions relative to other cats analysed (12 modern and two fossil felid species), including a closely-related fossil cheetah species.
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Using high-resolution X-ray computed micro-tomography (μCT), we provide the first analyses of the size and shape of the vestibular system of the inner ear in cats, an organ essential for maintaining body balance and adapting head posture and gaze direction during movement in most vertebrates.
Cheetah average speed series#
Because of its specialized hunting strategy, this species evolved a series of specialized morphological and functional body features to increase its exceptional predatory performance during high-speed hunting. The cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus, is the fastest living land mammal.