• Question: Are cheetahs part dog?

    Asked by loki514 to MarkF, Mark, Michael, Panos, Sarah on 16 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Mark Fogg

      Mark Fogg answered on 15 Jun 2010:

      Only if they’ve eaten one 😉

    • Photo: Sarah Burl

      Sarah Burl answered on 15 Jun 2010:

      As far as I am aware this is based on claws and whether they retract or not. Dogs have claws that don’t retract and cats have ones. The cheetah has semi-retractable claws so it is a cat rather than a dog.

    • Photo: Mark Travis

      Mark Travis answered on 15 Jun 2010:

      No, cheetahs are part of the cat family. They do have dog-like features (claws that can only partly retract, dog-like canine teeth), but are definitely cats.

    • Photo: Panos Soultanas

      Panos Soultanas answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Hello loki514,

      I don’t think so. I think they are part of the cat family. Certainly their traits are more similar to cats than dogs.

    • Photo: Michael Loughlin

      Michael Loughlin answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Nope…I mean I am sure they share many genes with dogs and other mammals , and no doubt sharte a common ancestor with dogs but no.
      #They are odd for cats insomuch they are much faster than most others, but can’t climb at all..because their feet are adapted to speed, not to gripping tree trunks

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