create your own mammal (mammalogy class paper)

The cheetaur is a member of the order Carnivora, family Felidae, and genus Acinonyx. Acinonyx is a genus with only one extant member, the cheetah, and are cats that do not have retractable claws. Cheetaur is the common name for the Acinonyx equuasis. It is named similarly to the mythical centaur (half man, half horse) for its horse-like legs. Their defining features are their long legs and extremely reduced paws with one toe, hence the species name equuasis (“equus” horse). The cheetaur features a mesaxonic foot with a single toed, hairy paw and non retractable claw. The single claw is curved like a hook for better grip on prey. It’s frame is also larger than the standard cheetah. A cheetah stands at about 2.5 feet from the shoulder (Cheetah Facts, 2018). From shoulder to the ground, an adult cheetaur stands at 4 to 5 feet. With these adaptations, the cheetaur is able to run quite fast for longer. The trade offs for longer limbs and larger body mass is that it cannot reach 112 kilometers per hour (70 miles per hour) like those in its genus. It is also not able to easily sneak on prey in areas where the grass is not tall enough. To help it blend in with the grass that is tall enough for coverage, cheetaurs (both male and female) are usually a shade of yellowish brown with dark spots.