Cheetah vs Tiger
The tiger is heavier: 150 kg against 37.6 kg for the cheetah, about 4.0 times the weight.
Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
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Photo: Seemaleena · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
What is the difference between a cheetah and a tiger?
Each point below is worked out from a pair of recorded values.
- The tiger is heavier: 150 kg against 37.6 kg for the cheetah, about 4.0 times the weight.
- They share the family Felidae but sit in different genera: Cheetah in Acinonyx, Tiger in Panthera.
- The cheetah is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List; the tiger is Endangered.
- They have been recorded in 13 of the same countries (the cheetah in 39 in total, the tiger in 35). Shared records include zoos, so this does not mean they meet in the wild.
Side by side
| Cheetah | Tiger | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Acinonyx jubatus | Panthera tigris |
| Family | Felidae | Felidae |
| Order | Carnivora | Carnivora |
| Weight | 35 kg – 40.2 kg | 120 kg – 180 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, monkey, rabbits and hares, fish |
| Habitat | Not recorded | forest, savanna, shrubland, grassland, wetland, coastal wetland |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable | Endangered |
| Countries recorded | 39 | 35 |
A scale drawing needs a recorded length for both animals; only weights are on record for this pair.