Scientists are studying cats in more detail than ever before, and what they are discovering is truly groundbreaking. Join the scientists in the field, testing new theories and challenging the conventional ideas about cats. New approaches and new technologies are allowing an intimate look at their previously hidden lives. Using high-tech collars, Professor Alan Wilson has discovered it is not straight-line speed that is a cheetah's greatest weapon but their ability to brake, change direction, and accelerate. His research is rewriting what we understand about the fastest animal on land. This is also a crucial time for cat conservation—most are threatened, facing extreme habitat loss and conflict with humans. Yet there are many positive stories of cats bouncing back from the brink, showcasing the tireless work of cat conservationists fighting to protect them.
Scientists are studying cats in more detail than ever before, and what they are discovering is truly groundbreaking. Join the scientists in the field, testing new theories and challenging the conventional ideas about cats. New approaches and new technologies are allowing an intimate look at their previously hidden lives. Using high-tech collars, Professor Alan Wilson has discovered it is not straight-line speed that is a cheetah's greatest weapon but their ability to brake, change direction, and accelerate. His research is rewriting what we understand about the fastest animal on land. This is also a crucial time for cat conservation—most are threatened, facing extreme habitat loss and conflict with humans. Yet there are many positive stories of cats bouncing back from the brink, showcasing the tireless work of cat conservationists fighting to protect them.
General Note
Originally released by BBC, 2018.
Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on May 22, 2019.
Content Note
Fastest Cat (8:10); --Cleverest Cat (7:01); -- Improving Understanding With Technology (6:45); -- Human Created Habitat (5:53); -- Adaptive Cat (7:30); -- Threatened With Extinction (7:28); -- Rarest Cat (6:34); -- Credits: The Science of Big Cats (0:32); .