Kid’s Corner

Fastest Land Animal in the World

By Christy Lowman

Burke County

Did you know that God created an animal that can run up to 75mph? That is faster than the speed limit for cars on the interstate. This animal is known as the fastest land animal in the world. Do you know what animal I am talking about? The cheetah! Can you imagine seeing a large yellow/tan cat with black spots pass you while you are riding in the back seat of your parents’ car? If you were having a race that is exactly what would happen! The cheetah can reach 75 mph in about 4 seconds. However, they can only hold this top speed for a few hundred yards.

Cheetahs live mainly in Africa and a few parts of Iran. They eat hooved animals like gazelle or wildebeest calves and sometimes rabbits and birds. Since they are only really fast for a short period of time, timing is everything when it comes to catching their dinner. For this reason, these cats will sneak up on their prey in the tall savannah grass. Their long tails are very important to the cheetah. The tail is used to quickly steer the cat which way it wants to go while running at top speed.

Cheetahs do not roar like other big cats. They “chirp” instead. Chirping is done mostly when cheetahs are reunited with family members, when they are in trouble, or when the females are looking for a mate. They also purr, bark, and hiss.

No two cheetahs look the same. Their spot pattern is unique. Just like people’s fingerprints are different and unique from each other.

God equipped the cheetahs with special paw pads on the bottom of their feet for traction. They also have semiretractable claws that help grip while they are running on the hard ground. Even though they don’t wear visible shoes they could not be the fastest animal on land without their special feet! Just like we must wear the Shoes of Peace everyday as well as all the other pieces of God’s armor.

Peace, is such a sweet word. Having peace is one of the best things you can experience in life. The only way you can have it is if you give all your worries, cares, and wants over to God. God is the only one who can grant us true peace. Once you have experienced it you only want it more and more because life is nothing but chaos without it!

Now, I will tell you that it is hard to give all our worries and problems over to Him! As human beings, we want to fix problems ourselves, we don’t want to wait for God to help us. Once you decide that you can’t handle things or fix things without God you will experience peace and it is the best thing ever! Go ahead and try it! Tell God about your worries and problems you are facing. Ask Him to fix them for you, and trust that He will! Once you trust Him to fix your problems you will feel the best feeling ever, peace!

Our most, kind, heavenly father, I ask that you will help each one of us give all our problems over to you. Help us trust you whole heartedly to fix our problems, and to take our fears and worries away. Only through you can we experience true peace. I pray that you will help each child here to experience it. Most of all I thank you for the gift of peace, it is a breath of fresh air that we all need to make it through our journey here on earth. Thank you for taking care of us and for loving us! In Jesus’s name I pray AMEN.

 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Ephesians 6:15 NIV

 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1Peter 5:7 KJV

Bibliography

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/news/why-do-cheetahs-have-spots-and-other-cheetah-facts

https://defenders.org/cheetah/basic-facts

https://animals.mom.me/far-can-cheetah-run-before-rest-2587.html