• snoons@lemmy.ca
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    4 days ago

    Cheetahs are apparently super chill as long as they’re not hungry, otherwise they’ll eat you so they can be super chill again.

    • ryannathans@aussie.zone
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      3 days ago

      I don’t think even a hungry cheetah is going to kill an adult human, they’re fast sure but too weak and would be unlikely to engage. They don’t show much aggression to humans and are easy to tame. There has never been a lethal attack on humans from a wild cheetah.

      • dublet
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        3 days ago

        There has never been a lethal attack on humans from a wild cheetah.

        Recorded. They are so good no human ever survives. 🕵️

        • fartographer
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          3 days ago

          Well, they actually skirt the rules to stay out of the record books. They say it’s good strategy, but I think they’re all cheetahs.

      • Windex007
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        3 days ago

        Someone is gonna need to double check this, but I feel like it’s saw a documentary that said cheetahs are super anxious… in the doc I feel like a guy slept in a makeshift shelter with cheetahs in a thunderstorm to help chill them out.

        It sounds so bizarre that im not actually convinced this wasn’t a dream, though…

        • leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          3 days ago

          Sounds about right. In zoos they sometimes pair cheetah cubs with yellow lab puppies to help them deal with the stress of… existing while being a cheetah, I suppose.

        • Thrashy
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          3 days ago

          There’s a series of photos from a wildlife photographer that are essentially selfies of him with a litter of cheetah cubs that the mother cheetah literally dropped in his lap while she went to go hunt. It’s been theorized that the only reason cheetahs have never been domesticated is that that they’re very difficult to breed in captivity.

            • Siethron
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              3 days ago

              Tamed, not domesticated.

              The system falls apart without training every generation.

              • ryannathans@aussie.zone
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                2 days ago

                I guess no need to go through the efforts of the classical definition of domestication when you can take them from the wild ready to tame

      • F/15/[email protected]@sh.itjust.works
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        3 days ago

        Highly niche hunter go brrr. Not to mention that we look and taste weird. Bony as hell vertical pigs that point sticks at anything threatening aren’t an appetizing meal to the the cat equivalent of a hummingbird

    • Seth Taylor
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      3 days ago

      I can confirm this. Cheetos ads taught me this. They really are super chill

  • brucethemoose
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    3 days ago

    SLIGHT NSFW WARNING

    This year, I had the privilege of seeing such friendliness in person:

    Shot on an ooold camera that still works.

      • brucethemoose
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        3 days ago

        Thanks! It was Tanzania.

        More Images

        It was a group of 3 that made a kill. They just blocked the truck path, fat and panting without a care, then walked off into the sun across the Kenyan border.

        Their kill didn’t go to waste:

          • brucethemoose
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            2 days ago

            Serengeti park, yep.

            Yeah, I was lucky by every definition… and have a “big cat” meme folder to reach into now.

            • redwattlebird @lemmings.world
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              2 days ago

              Thank you for sharing the excellent shots with us. I love cheetahs. I was lucky to come across two cubs when I travelled there way back in 2012. I couldn’t catch them on my camera though since there were so small.

    • MrShankles@reddthat.com
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      3 days ago

      Can’t tell if that Cheetah’s pregnant or fat from just eating a heavy meal lol. Great shots though, that must have been awesome to see!

      • brucethemoose
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        2 days ago

        I’m almost certain it’s a full belly, heh. It had just moved off a carcass, and seemed like one happy cat.

        Thanks! Yeah I was extremely lucky in a million ways.

  • idkwhatimdoing@sh.itjust.works
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    4 days ago

    Cheetahs are not actually dangerous to humans. Their skulls/jaws are pretty small and they are slender to be aerodynamic, and they need to be uninjured to hunt, so they avoid confrontation at all costs, especially with something the size of a human.

  • theneverfox@pawb.social
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    3 days ago

    Cheetahs aren’t dangerous, they’re big zoomy cats

    Since they min-maxed for speed, they’re not very strong and don’t really fight for their food, they get bullied easily

    • miraclerandy
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      3 days ago

      Yeah, don’t they partner them with Rottweilers in zoos to keep them company? Just big dogs chillin with big cats

      • theneverfox@pawb.social
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        3 days ago

        I think it’s golden retrievers, they’re basically required to keep them from getting an anxiety disorder

  • Steve Dice@sh.itjust.works
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    3 days ago

    Sometimes I conjure up the delusion that having a big feline is doable if raised from birth because my little feline is such an adorable baby that she shows her belly to literally everyone she sees even when she’s never met them. But even this cute ball of fluff will dig her claws into my leg to avoid falling when she rolls over while napping on my lap. Imagine if those claws were 4 cm.

  • magic_internet_wizard
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    3 days ago

    Domestic cats are not actually much different than wild cats in any way. they’re just too small to eat us and raised to be more tame. If your loveable housecat was as big as a cheetah, they might not intentionally attack you out of aggression, but their predator instincts would kick in and would probably play with you until you died and possibly eat you like they do insects, lizards, and any other small creature.

    • sangriaferret@sh.itjust.works
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      3 days ago

      I read an interview with a zoologist which described cats as evolutionarily perfect. Their dna really only varies primarily for size. All cats all over the world have survived with no need to seriously adapt to their environment.

    • Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.works
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      3 days ago

      Cheetahs are apparently the most chill of the big cats, people do keep them as pets.

      My local zoo will actually let people meet the cheetahs, and I can’t imagine that happening with the tigers.

      • owenfromcanada@lemmy.ca
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        3 days ago

        Apparently cheetahs aren’t “big cats”, they’re just large versions of small cats. They share features like purring and meowing, and their temperaments are closer to housecats than a tiger or lion.

      • Jankatarch
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        3 days ago

        Kinda funny how cats can basically parry things.

    • HugeNerd@lemmy.ca
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      3 days ago

      If my cat was that size, I might actually die from the farts in my face in the morning (like now), the signal he uses to say he’s hungry.

  • NotASharkInAManSuit
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    3 days ago

    Cheetahs aren’t dangerous to humans, they hang out with and even nuzzle up to wildlife photographers all the time.

    • rumschlumpel@feddit.org
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      3 days ago

      I mean they aren’t lions, but are you telling me that they’re tamer than house cats? Because I definitely wouldn’t trust a cheetah-sized house cat.

      • ThoGot@feddit.org
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        3 days ago

        Depending on the individual I wouldn’t even trust a house cat-sized house cat

      • NotASharkInAManSuit
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        3 days ago

        They can be, depending on their temperament. They’re not large cats, they’re big small cats and they very much behave as such, they are behaviorally a lot more like a house cat than a lion. They are far more likely to avoid you than attack you if they’re not interested in getting your attention and the social ones can be very social.

  • ekZepp
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    3 days ago

    It’s a trap. He just want you to get closer to pet him.

    • ryannathans@aussie.zone
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      3 days ago

      The ones I pat purrrred so fucking loud, very cool

      Baby leopards play exactly like house cats too

  • xxce2AAb@feddit.dk
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    4 days ago

    Just imagine it lapping at the juices leaking from the shredded remains of your face. Glad to help!