Cheetah mothers give birth to the cutest little babies. They are called cubs. There are usually six to eight brothers and sisters in a cheetah family and they like nothing more than snuggling up next to mum to keep warm. Cheetah cubs are helpless and blind when they are first born, with their eyes and ears firmly closed. When they are hungry, they make a noise that sounds like a baby bird chirping. This is why a cheetah's den is called a 'nest'. Cheetah cubs are always hungry. They need to drink a lot of their mother's milk in order to grow big and strong. Sometimes, though, when mum is away hunting, they don't drink for almost the whole day -- and then they get really hungry! The cubs drink milk every day, until they are three months old, and then they start to eat solid food. By the time they are ten days old, the newborn cubs have grown much bigger. Their eyes and ears have opened and they can walk pretty well, but mum still makes them stay in the nest. She needs to look after them and keep them safe from enemies. Excerpted from Cheetah All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
