notes photographer ken dyball, "i had spent about three months [in kenya’s masai mara] with this cheetah mum and her cubs. it is hard to describe the love and affection of a cheetah mother and her young. the daily challenges to bring her offspring to adulthood is amazing.“
it is estimated that only five to ten thousand cheetahs may still be living in the wild, which is a 90 percent decline in the past 120 years. cheetahs require vast expanses of land for hunting, but now, thanks largely to human encroachment, can only be found in 23 percent of their historic range.
and unlike other big cats, cheetahs rely entirely on their speed for defence. as an evolutionary trade off for this speed, cheetahs have small canine teeth – which allows for a larger nasal passage to take in more air when running – and dull, small claws – which is great for running but so much for fighting.
(additional photo by paul souders)
happy mother’s day, cheetahs
