A


cheetah looks out over the


wide grasslands in Africa. It seems like a strong hunter. It is, but not in the ways you may think. T e cheetah’s legs aren’t good for


climbing. Its claws are dull and not made for grabbing or holding prey. A cheetah has poor night vision, too. So it can’t hunt well at night. A cheetah can’t roar to scare prey.


Instead, it chirps like a large bird. A cheetah can run fast, but only for about 30 seconds. Aſt er that, it runs out of breath.


Built to Hunt So, a cheetah is a big cat that can’t climb well or roar. It sees poorly at night. It can’t run fast for a long time. Yet the cheetah is one of the world’s most successful predators. Every part of a cheetah’s body is


an adaptation for its life as a hunter in the grasslands. An adaptation is a behavior or body part that helps an animal survive. A cheetah has many characteristics


that help it to find and catch prey. A characteristic is a trait that makes something diff erent from others.


The black markings under a cheetah’s eyes cut down on the sun’s glare.


12 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER


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