Cheetahs are known for being the fastest land animals, capable of running at speeds up to 75 mph. Their speed and agility make them effective hunters, preying on antelopes, hares, birds, and other small to medium-sized animals. But do cheetahs actually hunt larger animals like deer? Here we’ll explore whether deer are part of the cheetah’s diet and how these big cats hunt.
The Cheetah’s Preferred Prey
Cheetahs are carnivores that mostly prey on smaller herbivores such as gazelles, impalas, hares, guineafowl, and birds. These animals weigh between 10-60 pounds on average, making them a good match for the cheetah’s relatively small size compared to other big cats. Deer like kudu and eland weigh several hundred pounds, presenting a much more challenging hunting target for cheetahs. Additionally, larger prey animals tend to form herds and have better defense abilities like powerful kicks that could seriously injure a cheetah.
Research on cheetah kills in areas like the Serengeti confirms that smaller antelope species make up the bulk of their diet. A 10-year study in the Serengeti National Park found that over 97% of the cheetah’s kills there consisted of four antelope species weighing 44-66 pounds on average. Deer were not recorded among the cheetah’s prey despite their abundance, likely due to being more difficult and dangerous for cheetahs to hunt.
When Cheetahs Target Deer
While antelope are clearly the cheetah’s preferred prey, deer are not completely off the menu. There are certain circumstances where cheetahs may target larger deer species:
- When smaller prey is scarce – During times of drought or hardship when gazelles and impalas are not as abundant, cheetahs may go after larger deer to sustain themselves.
- When deer are vulnerable – Cheetahs may prey on deer fawns or sick/elderly deer that have trouble keeping up with the herd and defending themselves.
- When deer live in optimal habitat – Deer that live in open woodlands and grasslands are more vulnerable to cheetah attack than those in thick brush or forests.
- When cheetahs hunt in coalitions – Male cheetahs often band together in small groups which gives them an advantage in taking down larger prey like deer.
There are a few cases of cheetahs preying on larger deer documented in areas like South Africa’s Kruger National Park. But this opportunistic hunting of deer makes up a very small percentage of the cheetah’s kills compared to favored antelope prey.
How Cheetahs Hunt and Capture Prey
Cheetahs have evolved several key adaptations to help them effectively hunt prey:
- Speed – A cheetah’s extreme speed, powered by strong and supple limbs, allows it to rapidly pursue prey over short distances.
- Acceleration – Cheetahs are able to go from 0 to 60 mph in just 3 seconds, enabling them to suddenly burst towards prey before it can react.
- Agility – Their lightweight, flexible spine allows cheetahs to make sharp, sudden turns during high-speed chases.
- Grip – Semi-retractable claws provide excellent traction when running and grasping prey.
When hunting, cheetahs stealthily stalk prey until they are within about 165 feet before breaking into a full sprint. At top speed, their stride reaches up to 25 feet in length! During the chase, cheetahs use their tail to steer and balance like a rudder. Within seconds, they slam into the prey animal at high speed to knock it off balance. The cheetah then grabs the neck area or flanks and trips the animal to the ground.
Prey is typically killed by means of suffocation, accomplished by clamping down on the throat. Smaller prey like hares or birds may be killed with just a bite to the head or neck. Once prey is downed, cheetahs must eat quickly before losing their kill to stronger and more aggressive predators like lions, leopards, hyenas, and wild dogs.
Challenges Cheetahs Face When Hunting Deer
When cheetahs decide to go after challenging deer prey, they face significant obstacles:
- Outpaced – Deer can run at bursts of 35-40 mph, not enough to beat a cheetah at full throttle but enough to possibly outlast one in a longer chase.
- Powerful kicks – A defensive kick from a deer’s powerful hind legs can seriously injure a cheetah.
- Herding – Deer gather in larger herds than cheetah’s preferred antelopes, so one cheetah is not enough to single out and isolate prey.
- Exhaustion – Chasing down a deer requires significantly more energy than a small antelope.
- Injury risk – Even if they make the kill, cheetahs risk injury when tackling much heavier deer.
These factors make deer hunts risky and likely to fail. One study in Botswana found that cheetahs were successful in only 5% of attempted hunts of larger prey animals like kudu. This is why cheetahs strongly prefer to target antelope species more closely matched to their size and hunting strategy whenever possible.
How Cheetahs Work Together to Hunt
Female cheetahs are solitary hunters, but male cheetahs often form small hunting groups or coalitions of two to three members. This coalition strategy offers advantages when hunting deer or other larger prey:
- Cooperation to isolate a single target from the herd.
- Relay chasing – taking turns to run down prey over a longer distance.
- Flanking maneuvers to attack prey from multiple angles.
- Better defense against protective mothers or territorial males.
- Ability to take down and kill larger prey than a single cheetah could.
One study in Serengeti National Park found that cheetah coalitions were 25% more successful in kudu hunts compared to solitary males, although they still only made a kill 17% of the time. While cheetah groups rarely target deer, cooperation improves their odds against challenging large prey.
Conclusion
In summary, deer make up a very small component of the cheetah diet. Cheetahs strongly prefer medium-sized antelope prey that they are adapted to hunt most effectively. However, cheetahs may opportunistically prey on deer fawns or sick adults when their favored antelope are less available. Male cheetah coalitions also improve the odds against bigger deer through strategies like relay chasing. But even cheetah groups only successfully kill deer a low percentage of the time. While deer are occasionally taken, they do not rank among the cheetah’s primary prey animals due to their large size, defensive abilities, and tendency to form herds.
