Leopard vs Cheetah
They share the family Felidae but sit in different genera: Leopard in Panthera, Cheetah in Acinonyx.
Photo: Sumeet Moghe · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
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What is the difference between a leopard and a cheetah?
Each point below is worked out from a pair of recorded values.
- They share the family Felidae but sit in different genera: Leopard in Panthera, Cheetah in Acinonyx.
- Both are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
- They have been recorded in 33 of the same countries (the leopard in 79 in total, the cheetah in 39). Shared records include zoos, so this does not mean they meet in the wild.
Side by side
| Leopard | Cheetah | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Panthera pardus | Acinonyx jubatus |
| Family | Felidae | Felidae |
| Order | Carnivora | Carnivora |
| Weight | Not recorded | 35 kg – 40.2 kg |
| Length | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Main food | impala, Eudorcas thomsonii, common warthog, Papio, Sylvicapra grimmia, Günther's dik-dik and 76 more | Eudorcas thomsonii, impala, Madoqua, springbok, Gazella subgutturosa, Dorcas gazelle and 28 more |
| Habitat | shrubland, forest | Not recorded |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable | Vulnerable |
| Countries recorded | 79 | 39 |
Full record: LeopardFull record: CheetahCompare other animals