Cheetah Cubs Born at Smithsonian's National Zoo!
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- Опубликовано: 11 янв 2011
- Many years of research are celebrated in the birth of two cheetah cubs at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute-the first cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) born at the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park facility in Front Royal, Va.
The cubs were born to two separate females; the first to 5-year-old Amani Dec. 6, the second to 9-year-old Zazi Dec. 16. Cheetahs that give birth to only one cub, called a singleton, cannot produce enough milk to keep the cub alive. Typically, females in the wild will let a single cub die, after which they will enter estrus and breed again to theoretically produce a larger litter. So scientists at SCBI resorted to an alternative technique. The cub born to Amani, a first-time mother, was hand-raised for 13 days before being placed with Zazi, creating a litter of two that will likely help stimulate milk production from Zazi. Researchers have observed both cubs nursing from Zazi.
@leo811sf In the wild, single cheetah cubs often do not survive. Kittens and cubs “knead” a mother’s stomach in order to encourage her body to produce milk. One cub cannot (usually) stimulate enough milk production to keep it alive and healthy. This makes sense for cheetahs in the wild, because raising cubs demands a lot of the mother’s time, energy, and resources. For one cub, the the payoff is not usually worth it.
Thankx again! I'm grateful too! Look forward to watching these two grow up via your great information sharing via Facebook and RUclips! Cheers!
cheetah cubs r so cute! i've worked with cheetahs and they are amazing animals!!!
@leo811sf It is more “biologically economical” for her to sacrifice the one cub and immediately go on to breed again and hope for a larger litter. When in human care we have the benefit of providing resources that might not come naturally. Putting the two cubs together increases their chances of mutual survival and is healthier for all four cats.
they r sooo cute!!! cheetahs r my fave animals, so if i dont get into vet school i want to be a cheetah biologist and work with cheetahs.
i <3 cheetahs!!
and those cubs r so cute!
u r doing a great job raising them. :)
@leo811sf Deciphering animal emotions is a VERY tricky business, but in all likelihood Amani did not feel “sad” when the cub was no longer with her as this behavior is driven by her physiology and instinct.
@leo811sf In that case we would have had to be creative and flexible in a whole new way! We were very grateful both cheetahs gave birth to cubs.
beautiful! when you take one cub from one mom and give to another, doesn't mama one have a problem with that? i understand why for survival reasons, but on an emotional level it seems sad for mama one. but glad they are but thriving!
@SmithsonianNZP Thank you for all the information and details. I was just curious on a human emotional level. I am very glad that human resources have been developed and are available to help both these cubs thrive. What would have been the plan had only one female been pregnant and delivered one cub?
cheetahs are my fave animal i really wont one there soooooooo cute
@memma04 i wanna be a cheetah biologist too! their my fav animals too :) i'm gonna move to africa and raise cheetah cubs!