A well known fact is that the cheetah is a carnivore, a meat eater. They eat mostly mammals that weigh approximately 88 lb. Examples of these kinds of animals are impalas and gazelles. Cheetahs also eat young wildebeests and zebras. Hares and guineafowl are also prey to cheetahs. While other big cats mostly hunt at night, cheetahs are diurnal hunters. They hunt in the early morning or in the evening when the weather is not quite as hot and there is enough light for them to see. Instead of hunting by scent, cheetahs hunt by vision. Their prey is stalked within 10-30 meters, then it is chased! The chase is usually finished in less than a minute, and if the cheetah happens to fail, it gives up.