Cheetah vs Cougar
The cougar is heavier: 51.6 kg against 46.7 kg for the cheetah, about 10% more.
Photo: James Temple · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Carlos · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
What is the difference between a cheetah and a cougar?
Each point below is worked out from a pair of recorded values.
- The cougar is heavier: 51.6 kg against 46.7 kg for the cheetah, about 10% more.
- The cougar is longer-lived: 21.9 years against 19 years for the cheetah, about 15% longer.
- They share the family Felidae but sit in different genera: Cheetah in Acinonyx, Cougar in Puma.
- The cheetah is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List; the cougar is Least Concern.
Side by side
| Cheetah | Cougar | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Acinonyx jubatus | Puma concolor |
| Family | Felidae | Felidae |
| Order | Carnivora | Carnivora |
| Weight | 35 kg – 50.6 kg | 48 kg – 51.6 kg |
| Length | 1.1 m – 1.5 m | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 19 years | 21.9 years |
| Main food | bezoar ibex, carrion, chinkara, common ostrich, common warthog, dama gazelle and 28 more | american badger, beaver, bighorn sheep, bobcat, canada goose, capybara and 38 more |
| Habitat | desert, mountain | rocky |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable | Least Concern |
| Countries recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded |
A scale drawing needs a recorded length for both animals; only weights are on record for this pair.
Full record: CheetahFull record: CougarCompare other animals