Schleich 14746 Cheetah female

Cheetahs are excellent hunters. First they carefully approach their loot to within a few meters, then they shoot at it like an arrow from a bow. If the prey suddenly changes direction in flight, the cheetah turns around in the middle of the jump. This is possible because their spine is flexible. But if they can't catch their prey after a few hundred yards, they have to give up the chase. The high speeds require so much power that they can only sustain them over a short distance.