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19 summaries in Physiology & Anatomy on cheetah
Functional anatomy of the cheetah forelimb
PaperA companion to the hindlimb study, this work dissected and quantified the cheetah forelimb musculature, again reporting muscle masses, fascicle lengths, and physiological cross-sectional areas in a co…
Hudson, P.E.; Corr, S.A.; Lee, R.C.; Wilson, A.M. · Journal of Anatomy · 2011
Functional anatomy of the cheetah hindlimb
PaperThis detailed dissection-based study quantified the muscle architecture of the cheetah hindlimb, recording muscle masses, fascicle lengths, and physiological cross-sectional areas and comparing them w…
Hudson, P.E.; Corr, S.A.; Lee, R.C.; Wilson, A.M. · Journal of Anatomy · 2011
High-speed galloping in the cheetah and the racing greyhound
PaperThis comparative biomechanics study placed cheetahs and racing greyhounds on a track and recorded spatio-temporal and kinetic characteristics of their galloping gait. Both are elite cursorial sprinter…
Hudson, P.E.; Corr, S.A.; Wilson, A.M. · Journal of Experimental Biology · 2012
Locomotion dynamics of hunting in wild cheetahs
PaperThis landmark study fitted free-ranging cheetahs in Botswana with custom solar-powered GPS-IMU collars logging position, acceleration, and turning at high frequency during real hunts. Rather than conf…
Wilson, A.M.; Lowe, J.C.; Roskilly, K.; Hudson, P.E.; Golabek, K.A.; McNutt, J.W. · Nature · 2013
Research overview: acceleration capacity versus top speed in cheetah hunting strategy
OverviewPopular accounts fixate on the cheetah maximum speed, but field data suggest acceleration and deceleration matter more for catching prey. This overview weighs the relative importance of burst accelera…
Research overview: aerobic and anaerobic energetics of the cheetah chase
OverviewA cheetah sprint is brief and metabolically violent. This overview compiles what is known about the energetic cost of the chase, the reliance on anaerobic pathways during the seconds of peak effort, a…
Research overview: claw grip, paw pads, and traction in accelerating cheetahs
OverviewCheetahs possess only partially retractable claws and hardened, ridged foot pads, features often likened to athletic cleats. This overview surveys how claw exposure and pad texture provide the tractio…
Research overview: does hunting raise cheetah body temperature to a limiting point?
OverviewA long-standing hypothesis held that cheetahs abandon chases because sprinting overheats them, storing heat faster than they can lose it. This overview examines the evidence, including studies that im…
Research overview: elastic energy storage in cheetah tendons
OverviewElastic tendons can store and return energy like springs, reducing the muscular cost of each stride. This overview reviews evidence for and against substantial elastic energy storage in the cheetah hi…
Research overview: evolution and phylogeny of vocal anatomy across the cat family
OverviewVocal abilities are distributed across the felid family tree in informative ways, and this overview reviews the evolution of cat vocal anatomy. Mapping hyoid structure and laryngeal features onto feli…
Research overview: limb safety factors and bone loading during cheetah sprints
OverviewRunning near the limits of land-mammal speed places enormous loads on slender limb bones. This overview gathers what is understood about peak ground reaction forces, bone stresses, and the safety fact…
Research overview: ontogeny of sprint biomechanics in growing cheetah cubs
OverviewAdult cheetah sprinting is well characterised, but how do cubs develop the coordination, muscle architecture, and skeletal proportions required for high-speed pursuit? This overview gathers what is kn…
Research overview: respiratory and cardiovascular limits during cheetah sprints
OverviewSustaining a sprint demands rapid oxygen delivery and gas exchange. This overview surveys what is known about the cheetah heart, lungs, blood, and airways in the context of brief, maximal exercise. Fe…
Research overview: spinal flexion and the double-suspension gallop
OverviewThe cheetah uses a rotary gallop with two airborne suspension phases per stride, one with limbs gathered and one with them extended. This overview examines how dorsoventral flexion and extension of th…
Research overview: stride length and frequency scaling at sprint speed in cheetahs
OverviewHow does the cheetah reach gallop speeds that outpace other land mammals? This overview synthesises what is known about the interplay of stride length and stride frequency as cheetahs accelerate. Unli…
Research overview: substrate, slope, and terrain effects on cheetah running performance
OverviewCheetah sprint mechanics are usually described on flat, open ground, but real hunts cross uneven, sloped, and variably firm terrain. This overview examines how substrate hardness, surface friction, sl…
Research overview: tail function as a counterbalance during high-speed turns
OverviewThe cheetah long, heavy, flattened tail is widely described as a rudder or counterbalance, but how exactly does it contribute to turning? This overview reviews the biomechanical reasoning and observat…
Research overview: the cheetah chirp, churr, and high-pitched vocal repertoire
OverviewThe cheetah is famous for sounding unlike other big cats, and this overview reviews its distinctive vocalisations. Rather than roaring, cheetahs produce bird-like chirps, churrs, and a range of high-p…
Research overview: why cheetah claws are only semi-retractable
OverviewThe cheetah is the classic exception to feline claw retraction: its claws remain largely exposed, blunt, and dog-like. This overview reviews the functional reasoning that this trades the sharp, sheath…