Males are about 30% larger than females, weighing 66 to 200 pounds, compared to females between 51 and 130 pounds. Cheetahs often sit on termite … Leopards are found in sub-Saharan Africa, and have small populations in southwest and central Asia, including the Indian subcontinent. A cheetah has a deep chest and a narrow waist, with short, coarse fur. And, of course, leopard also favour carrying any kill up into a tree to eat at their leisure, safe from the threat of hyenas or lions taking it from them. Cheetah (Africa, … Follow us for instant access to all of our best safari & wildlife content: The 6 Best Destinations For Fly-In Safaris, use these rudder-like tails as a counterbalance, cheetahs are big cats or medium-sized cats. Not so much. At first glance, the cheetah and the leopard are different: The cheetah is stylized, the fastest land animal that exists, and has characteristic black marks on their face that go from the lacrimal to the snout, at the level of the joint of their upper lips. While they are both big cats, leopards and cheetahs are very different from each other with distinct differences. Speed: With a maximum speed of 92 kilometers per hour, the cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world. They spend long periods of time crouching low to the ground, creeping up on their prey, needing to get close enough to leap on it to kill it, using the element of surprise. Let’s start with skin colour and pattern first. Leopards are considered near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature because of their declining habitat range and population. It has a white underbelly without spots, and four to six dark rings at the end of its tail, before a bushy white tuft. Leopard in tree with kill Difference Between Leopard and Cheetah • Leopard is a big cat but cheetah is not. They have a large number of light-sensitive cells in their eyes to help detect movement and shape in the dark, along with large pupils to maximise the amount of light absorbed. They are hunted by farmers who believe they eat livestock, although studies suggest that cheetahs rarely do so. They are carnivores, and mostly eat mammals under 80 pounds, such as the Thomson’s gazelle, the springbok and the impala. Their head and body length is usually between 35 and 75 inches, with a tail between 24 and 43 inches. Leopard. Let us know in the comments section below! Cheetah’s coat markings consist of solid black spots. A cheetah’s fur is tan in color compared to a leopard which has more of a yellow fur. The leopard (Panthera pardus) is one of the five species in the genus Panthera, a member of the Felidae. So here’s our guide to the cheetah vs leopard question – know which one are you looking at with ease: Cheetahs are taller at the shoulder than leopards and stand higher above the ground, but they are far more slender animals. On the other hand, the Yellow with black rosettes color belongs to Leopard. Cheetahs chase their prey at high speed and bring prey down by tripping them with a swipe at their hind legs rather than leaping on them. Cheetahs are found in Africa and southwestern Asia. Many tend to get confused between the leopard and the cheetah. A cheetah’s coat is tan – usually a few shades cooler than a leopard’s – with a constellation of uniform black spots. The difference between a cheetah and a lion is clear as day, but a leopard and a jaguar? Cheetah tails are somewhat flat and wide in appearance. Another facial difference is the eye colour: a cheetah’s eyes are amber-coloured, while a leopard’s is green-blue-coloured. Range & Habitat: Leopards live in more places than any other big cat, and are comfortable in almost any habitat, including deserts, rainforests, woodlands, grassland savannas, mountain, scrub, and swamps. Their marks are hol… Population estimates suggest that there are at least 50,000 leopards left in the wild. Cheetahs are known for their speed; they are one of the fastest animals on the planet. They are typically found in grasslands, woodlands and riverine forests. Cheetahs are known to hunt their prey during daytime whereas Leopards generally hunt during the night. They have a broad diet, including things from dung beetles to male giant elands. They tend to breed during dry season, with cubs born at the beginning of the wet season. Leopards are the shortest of the big cats, although they are bulkier and more robust than cheetahs (weighing up to 100 kg). THE FACE & HEAD: Another key variation between a cheetah and a leopard is in the facial markings. The 20 best malaria-free safari destinations, The 6 greatest animal migrations in Africa. Another small difference is the fur coat color between a cheetah and a leopard. Whilst at first glance cheetahs and leopards may seem similar, they are in fact two very different cats. In nature’s version of sunglasses, the cheetah has black “tear marks” from its eyes to the mouth, which helps to absorb the sun while it’s sprinting after prey at astonishing speeds. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. They can purr, but they cannot roar. Although cheetah, jaguar, leopard & other wild cat prints look similar, they’re not all the same.However, they usually all get grouped under the same umbrella: leopard print. Cheetah vs Leopard Size and body shape differences. The cheetah’s tail (left) is more rudder-like, compared to the leopard’s tubular tail. Diffen LLC, n.d. Among experts, "big cats" refers to those animals of the genus Panthera, where a genus is a group or category of organisms of similar characteristics that can contain one or more species.. Leopards are found in sub-Saharan Africa, and have small populations in southwest and central Asia, including the Indian subcontinent. Cheetah vs leopard print may be the fashionista’s way of understanding the difference … The cubs typically stay with their mother for 18 to 24 months. Leopards also spend much more time in trees than cheetahs, often lounging and sleeping in a tree all day, before heading out to hunt at night. • Categorized under Animals, Nature, Science | Difference Between a Leopard and a Cheetah To the casual observer, leopards and cheetahs may seem to be close cousins or even the same species of cat. Leopards have a rosette type pattern on their whole body with darker colours in between the rosette pattern. 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