Welcome to Fast Facts with Reasons for Hope!
I’m Carl Kerby.
Today, we’re trying to keep up with the cheetah – he goes from sitting to running 60 miles-an-hour in three seconds! Yes, I said three seconds!
The cheetah knows how to conserve energy and make every second count. It will leap to its feet and cover 20 – 25 feet in one stride! They’ll take 4 strides per second when running full speed!
This is possible because the cheetah’s spine curves up and down and extends like a spring. Their hips swivel on that spine allowing it to quickly change direction, and their shoulder blades are unattached at the collarbone helping them stretch out even further. This amazing design was no accident!
While running at this incredible speed, the cheetah is able to keep its head still so that its eyes are fixed on its prey.
They can run like this for about 30 seconds, giving them a huge advantage as they hunt. There’s even more that we’ll talk about next time. Until then … stay bold!
Carl Kerby is the founder of Reasons for Hope and co-creator of the DeBunked apologetic video series. His radio feature, Fast Facts, is heard weekly on VCY America, Saturdays at 9:25 AM Central.
