Watch a Fearless Wildebeest Land a Roundhouse Kick Straight to a Cheetah’s Face

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Key Points

• Impalas, gazelles, and other ungulates are among cheetahs’ preferred food sources.
• Cheetahs attack by creeping up on their prey before launching a swift pursuit.
• A wildebeest is capable of carrying up to 445 pounds of body weight and growing as tall as four and a half feet at the shoulders.

We know cheetahs for having impeccable speed. It can feel nearly impossible for prey to outrun these spotted cats. Today we’re looking at a fearless wildebeest that outruns one of these cats. Cheetahs are capable of running up to 70 miles per hour, but they typically only pursue their target at a speed of approximately half that.

Impalas, gazelles, and other ungulates are among cheetahs’ preferred food sources. Additionally, the main source of nourishment for cheetahs is the offspring of larger ungulate animals. Bunnies, small animals, and birds can all be captured by these cats as well.

How Do Cheetahs Hunt?

The other large cats of Africa do not use any hunting techniques as peculiar as those used by cheetahs. Cheetahs are the quickest terrestrial animals in the world, and they rely largely on quickness and dexterity in their hunting techniques. 

Cheetahs attack by creeping up on their prey before launching a swift pursuit. These cats chase after their prey and then grab hold of its legs so that it tumbles to the ground, temporarily paralyzing it as a result of the rapid speed, permitting the predator to kill it.

Cheetahs have extremely lightweight bones, small heads, and slim bodies with no extra weight, making them extremely aerodynamic animals. Cheetahs, as opposed to other big cats like tigers and leopards, have non-retractable claws which give them the best grip, momentum, and capacity to make acute turns at extremely high speeds.

How Large Do Leopards Get?

Leopards are the smallest species of big cats, like lions, tigers, and jaguars. Female leopards weigh 46 to 132 pounds, while males weigh 80 to 165 pounds. They stand around 28 inches at the shoulder, with a range of 17.5 to 30.5 inches.

In fact, the Persian Leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor), also called the Caucasian Leopard, is the biggest type of leopard. Most of these leopards live in the forests of Iran, with smaller populations in Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Pakistan, and Turkey.

A Lucky Getaway

A video going viral on YouTube showcases a cheetah pursuing a herd of wildebeests. The fearless wildebeest is capable of carrying up to 445 pounds of body weight and growing as tall as four and a half feet at the shoulders. 

A full-grown wildebeest can be as heavy as a mature male lion, to give you an idea of the similarity. Wildebeests must move in herds because, despite their size, they are susceptible to the roaring lion, cheetahs, and hyenas of their environment. 

The herds during migration can have as many as 1,000 wildebeests! This is one of the many animals that use the power of numbers to keep themselves safe from predators. In the aforementioned video, a cheetah can be seen chasing after a wildebeest.

It gets close enough to take the animal down by its hind legs, but that’s not what happens. As you can assume from the title of this piece, the wildebeest gives the cat a swift kick to the face. Although this deters the feline, it doesn’t stop the cat from coming back for round two. 

The cheetah makes a second attempt and lunges for the back legs of its target. Once again, the fearless wildebeest kicks the cheetah in the face, telling him to back off. You just have to see it for yourself! 

Is It Normal for a Wildebeest to Attack a Cheetah?

Wildebeests are generally peaceful animals that are able to cohabitate with other animals and they are not known for their aggressive behavior or unpredictable tempers. Although they are not completely defenseless, armed with sharp horns and powerful kicks, and are able to inflict serious harm to many of their predators, like the cheetah in question, as well as lions and leopards.

No, wildebeests do not normally attack cheetahs but they will act out in certain instances. Like the majority of species, mother wildebeests have been known to attack certain animals in defense of their calves. There have also been instances of angry wildebeests reacting to humans, but these cases are also rare.