A cheetah’s leg muscles generate four times more acceleration power than the fast-moving limbs of Usain Bolt, scientists have shown.
The finding emerged from the first detailed study of the way the cats hunt in the wild, using satellite-tracking technology.
One of the five animals observed clocked up a top speed of 25 metres per second, or 93kph.
It was just a little slower than the land mammal record of 98kph set by a cheetah called Sarah at Cincinnati Zoo in the US last year.
Scientists studied 397 runs by three female and two male adult cheetahs in northern Botswana, Africa.
The animals were fitted with GPS and motion-sensing collars that not only tracked their position but recorded changes in direction and acceleration.
Typically the cheetahs began a hunting run with a burst of acceleration to high speed.
This was followed by rapid deceleration and manoeuvring before the prey, mainly Impala, was captured and eaten.
Acceleration and the ability to change direction quickly was more important to hunting success than top speed.
The calculated muscle power output of accelerating cheetahs was twice that of racing greyhounds and more than three times that of competing polo horses.
It was also four times greater than that produced by Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt – said to be the fastest man alive – during his world record-breaking 100-metre dash.
Alan Wilson, from the Royal Veterinary College, whose results are published in the journal Nature, said: “Although the cheetah is recognised as the fastest land animal, very little is known about other aspects of its notable athleticism, particularly when hunting in the wild. Our technology allowed us to capture what to our knowledge is the first detailed locomotor information on the hunting dynamics of a large cursorial (running) predator in its natural habitat and as a result we were able to record some of the highest measured values for lateral and forward acceleration, deceleration and body mass.
“In the future, equivalent data for other wild cursorial species would enhance what we know about natural speed, agility and endurance, and provide detailed information on ranging behaviour in the wild.
“For example, information on habitat selection by endangered species, detailing where animals are commuting, hunting and resting, would be informative when attempting to evaluate wildlife-protected areas.”
The longest runs recorded by each cheetah ranged from 407 metres to 559 metres, and the cats made an average of 1.3 runs a day.
High-speed sprints only accounted for a small fraction of the average 6,040 metres daily covered by the cheetahs.
In successful hunts, there was often a burst of accelerometer data after the speed returned to zero. This was interpreted as the cheetah making quick movements to subdue its prey.