The cheetah showed its mastery of hunting when it ended the life of the eland antelope in a few short minutes.
The cheetah lunges at the antelope. Photo: CCTV.
Amateur photographer Gonnie Myburgh captured the moment a leopard sped off on a dusty road before grabbing an eland and slamming it to the ground near a lake in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier park in South Africa early in the morning.
“We were near the lake and focused on looking for animals around, when suddenly, the young eland antelope ran out into the street from the left. It only had time to kick the leopard before falling down on the road. The leopard immediately hunted. took its life by the neck,” Myburgh recounted. After making sure the prey is dead, the cheetah sits in front of the prey and looks triumphantly back at the photographer.
The leopard used its body weight to push the antelope to the ground. Photo: CCTV.
The cheetah has the scientific name Acinonyx jubatus – a leopard of the Big Cat family known as the world’s fastest land mammal. With an aerodynamic body shape that combines long legs and a flexible spine, they can sprint at speeds of up to 112 kilometers per hour. Adult leopards have an average height of 77 cm at the shoulder, a length of 112 – 142 cm and a weight of 34 – 64 kg.
The cheetah rests after a successful hunt. Photo: CCTV.
Cheetahs mainly feed on small to medium-sized animals such as antelope, rabbits, wild boar and birds. Cheetah hunting times are dawn and dusk. They spend a lot of time stalking before chasing their prey. They often hide the carcass of their prey after hunting to avoid the attention of vultures and hyenas.
Unlikely encounter: Drivers witness leopard and antelope face off in the middle of a busy road