Michele & Joel on safari, with cheetahs in the background

Mother cheetah and her three cubs. The cubs are close to a year old and are nearly grown, so they're almost as big as Mom.

The cheetah family is very tired. The great African cats seem to nap about as much as Scooter, our cat back home.

When cheetahs are young, they have an extra-fuzzy patch on their shoulders and upper back. This is to make them appear larger to predators.

Our tracker, Isaac, sitting on the front of our safari truck as we approach the cheetahs.

A safari truck from another lodge has come to see the cheetahs too

Cheetahs are the fastest land mammal, and are built entirely for speed. Their bodies are very narrow and nimble, with long muscular legs. We didn't get to see one sprint, though.

Unlike most of the big cats, cheetahs hunt during the day.