Cheetahs grow up to three feet tall and four and a half feet long (not including their tails), and can weigh more than 140 pounds. In the wild, they can live up to 12 years. With dark spots over light golden-brown coloring and a white underbelly, cheetahs can reach speeds up to 70 miles per hour, allowing them to hunt down prey that other big cats can't catch. Unlike many other big cats, cheetahs hunt by day, making their daily routine more likely to be affected by humans. As of 2010, cheetahs are endangered.
Grevy's zebras inhabit Africa's dry grasslands. They are between four and five feet tall and can weigh up to 900 pounds. In the wild, they live up to 25 years. Members of the horse family, zebras can run as fast as 35 miles per hour. When zebras group together, their black and white stripes make it difficult for predators to single out individual zebras to attack. Grevy's zebras are distinguished by their narrow stripes and a thick solid black strip running down their back. Plant eaters, their main food source are grasses. Grevy's zebras are endangered as of 2010.
African wild dogs can grow to two and a half feet tall and three and a half feet long, and can weigh up to 60 pounds. In the wild, African wild dogs live for about 10 years. With four toes on their front feet; large, rounded, bat-like ears; and a black, brown and white patchwork fur, African wild dogs hunt in packs in the morning and the evening. As of 2010, African wild dogs are considered the second-most endangered carnivore in Africa.
White and black rhinoceroses are found in grasslands in eastern and southern Africa. Larger than the black rhino, the white rhino can measure up to 13 feet long and weight up to 5,000 pounds. Both varieties live between 40 and 45 years and have two horns. While both are herbivores, white rhinos have wide mouths appropriate for eating clumps of grass, whereas black rhinos have narrower mouths they use to skillfully grasp foliage and leaves. Despite their names, both species are a brownish gray color. Both black and white rhinoceroses are endangered as of 2010.
Leopards are three to six feet long and can weigh up to 200 pounds. Males are larger and heavier than females. Nocturnal hunters, leopards that live in grasslands and are a lighter color than their counterparts that live in rain forests. Hiding their food at heights where other predators can't reach, leopards are skilled climbers. Widely hunted for their skins and whiskers, and poisoned by farmers trying to protect livestock, leopards are endangered as of 2010.
