Cheetah vs Lion
The lion is heavier: 157 kg against 37.6 kg for the cheetah, about 4.2 times the weight.
Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
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Photo: Sumit.pamnani at English Wikipedia · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
What is the difference between a cheetah and a lion?
Each point below is worked out from a pair of recorded values.
- The lion is heavier: 157 kg against 37.6 kg for the cheetah, about 4.2 times the weight.
- They share the family Felidae but sit in different genera: Cheetah in Acinonyx, Lion in Panthera.
- Both are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
- They have been recorded in 32 of the same countries (the cheetah in 39 in total, the lion in 63). Shared records include zoos, so this does not mean they meet in the wild.
Side by side
| Cheetah | Lion | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Acinonyx jubatus | Panthera leo |
| Family | Felidae | Felidae |
| Order | Carnivora | Carnivora |
| Weight | 35 kg – 40.2 kg | 126 kg – 188 kg |
| Length | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Main food | Eudorcas thomsonii, impala, Madoqua, springbok, Gazella subgutturosa, Dorcas gazelle and 28 more | ungulate |
| Habitat | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable | Vulnerable |
| Countries recorded | 39 | 63 |
A scale drawing needs a recorded length for both animals; only weights are on record for this pair.