Cheetah's mix of stealth and speed similar to race cars

A new study has claimed that Cheetahs move like race cars by maintaining a fine balance of speed against maneuvering capability.

John Wilson of North Carolina State University's Department of Biology and his team monitored speed, position and acceleration of six cheetahs at Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, southern Africa.

In order to achieve this they attached GPS devices and movement monitors on drop-off collars, which were then placed on the cheetahs.

The researchers determined that the world's fastest mammal's chases usually consist of two phases, which are an initial burst of acceleration that allows them to catch their prey and another one is a slowed-down period allowing cheetahs to make sharp, calculated turns as the distance between them and their prey reduces, Discovery News reported.

Then there is a stoppage when the whole thing gets over and the cheetah ha caught on with their prey.

NASCAR competitors follow similar tactics on tracks as they also negotiate sharp turns.