Roy Brooks Cheetah Art

Roy Brooks cheetah art captures the speed and concentration of a hunting cheetah.

The cheetah's prey is slowly stalked to within about 30m and then the cheetah chases at incredible speed. If the cheetah fails to make a catch quickly within a few minutes, it will give up. The cheetah has an average hunting success rate of around 50% - half of its chases result in failure.

Running at speeds between 70 and 75 mph puts a great deal of strain on a cheetah's with it's body temperature becoming almost fatally high. This is why the cheetah is often seen resting after it has caught its prey. A hard chase sometimes needs a rest of about half an hour or more. The cheetah kills its prey by tripping it during the chase, then biting it on the throat to suffocate it. The cheetah tries to eat it's catch as quickly as possible before the kill is stolen by stronger predators.