There's a program that comes on early in my morning (6 am). I am usually up to go to the bathroom somewhere close to that time without having to set an alarm clock. It's call Big Cat Diary. It's all about the big cats (lions, cheetahs and leopards) that live year 'round in the Masai Mara. It's part of the Serengeti reserve and it's where the wildebeests, zebra and all the different antelope travel to every year on their migration from the south to the north. The place where all the crocodiles are waiting is where they cross the Mara River into the grassy plains beyond. Yes, they have shown even that part of the migration and it's awful and awesome at the same time.
Anyway, one of the things that has always made me wonder was how different the cheetahs and leopards are. I love the looks of the cheetah with the black *tear marks* that run from their eyes down around their muzzles. They are so elegant looking and are amazing when they are running at full speed. They are the fastest land animals going from zero to 60 in just three seconds! I kid you not. My mouth dropped open when the people who are observing these various cats in the wild gave that statistic. They have some cats that they have been observing for over six years. They give each cat a name and that is how they refer to them during the program. After a while, you (the person watching) get to know them, too.
But there are some things I didn't know about the big cats that I have learned. First of all, cheetahs do not climb trees. It's the leopards that drag their kills up into the trees to keep them from predators that might steal their kill. Cheetahs must eat their fill as quickly as possible and everything intimidates them into abandoning their kills from hyenas to lions. Heck, it looked like a huge flock of vultures could also chase them away if they are persistent enough (and very hungry).
All of the cats keep their cubs in isolation for five or six weeks while they bond with them. It also protects them from predators or, as in the case with lions, from their older cousins that treat them like they are toys and just want to play with them. However, just the weight difference can injure them so the mothers keep the little ones safe and form a strong bond with their attention. In that way, the babies learn their mothers smell and *voice* and so does she.
One of the observers on the program has been doing this for over 20 years, just not always in the Mara. He is the most informative person and brings up some of the more interesting things about the different cats. He's also a talented artist. You sometimes get to see the pictures he makes of each of the cats they observe along with any tell-tale markings so he can check to make sure any new cats are properly identified when they are new to the area. By that, I mean the cubs or kittens that have been born. The identifying markings never change during their whole lives.
I've learned about the small sounds the mothers make to call their babies to them if they have hidden for any reason. Even the desperate ones when the babies have hidden out of fear because of the presence of a predator. I had no idea that the male lions usually only manage to keep their *families* for an average of three years. It takes a lion hitting a certain age and strength before they can replace a lion no longer in his prime and take over the females. They also seem to only kill off babies, not the so-called *teenagers* in the pride. Those are the ones that are older than a year and a half. How they can tell, I have no clue.
I was also surprised to find out that most prides have TWO males or more. These are usually brothers or buddies that have teamed up and are out looking for a pride to take over. When one dies for any reason, it is usually only a short time before they end up without their females due to the lions that are looking for females. MEN! They are all the same.....LOL
Anyway, if you get a chance to watch the program, please do so. They aren't looking for donations or any such thing. It's just a very interesting program. If you can't be awake, record it to watch later and do so regularly. I think you will find it interesting, too. ***Hugs***
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