The Difference Between Cheetahs & Leopards

Both the cheetah and the leopard are fearsome predators, capable of using their powerful muscles and cunning personalities to bring down large game. Many people confuse the two, often because the two cats look somewhat alike at first glance. But under careful scrutiny, the two animals have several noticeable differences.

  1. Genus

    • The leopard, panthera pardus, is in the panthera genus, which includes the planet's "big cats." Lions, tigers and leopards all belong to the panthera genus. A cheetah, acinonyx jubatus, is genetically different to the big cats and belongs to its own genus.

    Size

    • The leopard is larger than the cheetah. A male leopard weighs between 66 and 200 pounds, stands 31 inches tall and grows to more than 6 feet from nose to tail. While a leopard is still the smallest in the panthera genus, it has extremely powerful back muscles that allow it to climb trees with skill and ease.

      Cheetahs are considerably smaller: a male weighs between 75 and 145 pounds, stands about 26 inches tall and grows to about 4 feet from nose to tail. Due to their smaller size, cheetahs are more known for their running abilities. A cheetah can reach 62 mph in under 3 seconds.

    Coloring

    • Most leopards' fur is freckled, from nose to tail, with rosettes. These are rose-like patterns with a black border and a dark brown interior. Cheetahs do not have rosettes on their pelts, just large black dots. Cheetahs also have a thick bold line that runs from their eyes to their jaw lines, which is nicknamed a tear streak.

    Subspecies

    • Leopards have many subspecies, scattered from Africa to Eastern Asia. These include the Asian, African, Arabian and Indo-Chinese leopards. Cheetahs have no true sub-species. Sometime in the Ice Age, scientists believe the cheetah population inbred, giving rise to only one predominant genetic strain. Some scientists have alleged to find new cheetah species, including the "king cheetah," which turned out to carry a strange recessive gene that brought out a mane and rosettes.