Terry Robert Dail age 8, of Shelbyville, T enn;,for his question;

How fast can a cheetah run?

Lets watch some of the fastest runners race a 500‑yard dash. A thoroughbred horse prances to the starting post on well groomed hoofs, A tall ostrich stands there on two powerful legs. He claims he can cover 45 miles in an hour. A fast greyhound is ready, And here comes the favorite. He wears his colors proudly ‑ dark spots on a coat of buff fur. He is, of course, the cheetah, He is here representing the cat family.

The handsome favorite is sleek and slender. His slim body is just over four feet long. He lashes a two and one half foot taily anxious to do his. stuff, They're off!

It's all over in a moment, The spotted favorite dashed over the' finish line in a blur of speed ‑ an easy first, Lets wait to hear his  speed record. He made the 500‑yard dash at 70 miles an hour, Yes.when it comes to short spurts of speed the cheetah is the world's champ.

However, he cannot keep up such speed over a long distance, He is a .native of Africa and a great hunter of wild deer and antelope. Over long stretches some of these fleet‑footed fellows can outrun him. So the cheetah has other tricks to make sure of his dinner,

He is a clever stalker, He spots his prey in the far distance, Then he begins a game of hide‑and‑seek, He crawls and crouches. He slips behind trees and slithers through bushes. His speckled coat helps him to blend with his background of dappled sunlight and shadow. When close enough, he crouches for the take‑off. He can reach a speed of 45 miles per hour in two seconds. But, if the deer can keep ahead for a mile or so, he wins. Otherwise the cheetah sits down for dinner.

In olden days the cheetah was trained as a hunting dog. However, if trained too young, he was no good as a hunter. Though a clever hunter, he is not a bloodthirsty one. Actually he would much rather be a pet with a human family. If captured as a kitten, he settles down to a tame 1ife as an affectionate pet, He just wont hunt for his owners.

So he was left wild until grown or nearly grown Then he was captured and trained as a hunting dog. He was lead' blindfolded' until in sight of the game, Then his hood was pulled off his chain was unhooked and the chase was on.