this post was submitted on 30 Nov 2025
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Science Memes

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[–] snoons@lemmy.ca 101 points 1 day ago (5 children)

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 50 points 1 day ago (3 children)

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@lemmy.world 41 points 1 day ago (3 children)

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

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

[–] fartographer@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day 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.

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[–] Windex007@lemmy.world 29 points 1 day ago (4 children)

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 46 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

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.

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[–] Curious_Canid@piefed.ca 38 points 1 day ago (2 children)

The truth is that everyone should be paired with a dog to help them deal with stress.

I have mine. It works wonders.

[–] DasFaultier@sh.itjust.works 20 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] fartographer@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Excuse me, but I'm gonna need to see that snoot booped.

[–] DasFaultier@sh.itjust.works 13 points 23 hours ago (3 children)
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[–] SethTaylor@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

No way... Come on... 🥹 That's adorable... come on now...

[–] Thrashy@lemmy.world 18 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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.

[–] ryannathans@aussie.zone 5 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I thought they were domesticated many times throughout history, and used for hunting?

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[–] Gullible@sh.itjust.works 16 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day 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

[–] stupidcasey@lemmy.world 32 points 1 day ago

Me too bud, me too.

[–] leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 1 day ago

We're too big and too dangerous.

A cheetah would need to be very desperate to attack a human.

[–] SethTaylor@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

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

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[–] idkwhatimdoing@sh.itjust.works 65 points 1 day ago (2 children)

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.

[–] ryannathans@aussie.zone 26 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Also there's never been a lethal attack on humans from a wild cheetah

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[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

I was gonna say, nobody is calling cheetahs dangerous. 🙄

[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 41 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

SLIGHT NSFW WARNING

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

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Shot on an ooold camera that still works.

[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 15 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Where was this? Amazing shots.

[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 18 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

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.

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Their kill didn't go to waste:

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[–] ekZepp@lemmy.world 32 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

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

[–] OrganicMustard@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago (2 children)
[–] leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 1 day ago

It'd probably let you. They're pretty chill cats.

Don't have a lot of energy, and have to save it for sprinting.

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[–] magic_internet_wizard@lemmy.world 29 points 1 day ago (4 children)

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 21 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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.

[–] remotelove@lemmy.ca 19 points 1 day ago (1 children)

no need to seriously adapt to their environment.

Yeah, cats make everyone and everything adapt to their environment. You have to completely go outside the environment to avoid their influence.

[–] luciferofastora@feddit.org 8 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

go outside the environment

Isn't that where the wrecked oil tanker is?

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[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Or snakes. Like, big snakes.

I swear, if a housecat sees a noodle, some "I'm born to paw this to death" switch goes off in their heads.

See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rH5GxeyusM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIcpg_pFbF8

Interestingly, big cats aren't like that. They don't like snakes, and I think they're too big to dodge them.

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[–] Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.works 9 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] NotASharkInAManSuit@lemmy.world 28 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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

[–] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 9 points 1 day ago (5 children)

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 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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

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[–] leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com 25 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Fun fact: cheetahs can purr and meow.

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[–] xxce2AAb@feddit.dk 17 points 1 day ago (5 children)

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

[–] KingGimpicus@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Worse, cat tongues are barbed and are actually abrasive. They can literally lick your face off given enough time.

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[–] leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 day ago

It's a cheetah, not a leopard.

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[–] owenfromcanada@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 day ago

Ah, the danger blep

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 12 points 21 hours ago

They meow as well.

[–] dumbass@piefed.social 8 points 1 day ago

Go on then, give it a Boop then!

[–] theneverfox@pawb.social 8 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

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

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[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

Fatal attraction.

[–] WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today 7 points 22 hours ago

They are too intimidated to attack you from the front, so they play nice

[–] stevedice@sh.itjust.works 7 points 12 hours 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.

[–] VinnyDaCat@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

It's just a big cat.

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