Cheetah: The Price of Speed

The cheetah is a highly specialised animal. It excels at one thing alone, running down high-speed prey faster than any other mammal on earth.But this specialisation comes at a cost. The cheetah as a predatory model seems focussed on one single area of expertise. Outside of pursuing prey, how effective is this animal when compared to the other apex predators of the savannah?Alongside lions, leopards, vultures and hyenas how does the cheetah fit into the efficient cogs of the savannah system? Can it compete, or is it an outsider, cornered by it's own specialisation?The primary character in the story is a cheetah mother, who goes about her daily life, hunting for her three cubs. Her trials and tribulations highlight the refined hunting system of the cheetah, but they also shed light on her weaknesses, and the lack of robustness in the species itself.