What is the difference between a leopard and a cheetah?

Question

What is the difference between a leopard and a cheetah?

Answer 1

The Cheetah is an endangered species...?

I'm not really sure what you're asking here. They are two different species of cat. They are even in a different genus...

That's a pretty big wall between the two.

They are, however, both in the Felidae family...

If you can clarify your question, I'll be happy to help!

Take care.

Answer 2

Though both are members of the cat family, Felidae, they are entirely different species in different genera.

The leopard (Panthera pardus) is found across Asia and Africa and is the most widespread and adaptable of the large cats. They are excellent climbers, and often haul their prey into trees to keep it safe from other predators such as lions or hyenas. 'Black panthers' are simply melanistic leopards - that is, leopards with an excess of the dark pigment melanin, resulting in an almost totally black coat (the markings will still show up against the background in certain lights). Melanism is more common in Asia than in Africa. Leopards are more heavily-built and shorter than cheetahs, with a longer head and spots arranged in small rings. Despite what Dataind says, there are no leopards in South America. There are jaguars (Panthera onca), but these are a completely different species. Melanistic jaguars also occur, and some people refer to these black jaguars as panthers as well as black leopards, which can cause confusion. Leopards certainly CAN run, though nowhere near as fast as the cheetah, and certainly are not omnivorous. Like all cats, they are strict carnivores.

Here's a leopard image:

http://www.africaaway.com/gallery/leopar...

Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are the fastest-running animals on Earth, reaching speeds of over 60mph. Their entire body is built for speed - they are tall and slender, with long slim legs and a long tail, which helps them make turns at high speed. The head is small and rounded, with distinctive black 'tear-marks' running from the inner corner of each eye to the corner of the mouth. Unlike those of other cats, their claws are only partially retractile, helping them grip the ground when running. Their spots are solid black. The vast majority of cheetahs are found in Africa, though there is a small relict population of around 30 animals in Iran.

Here's a cheetah image:

http://www.quantum-conservation.org/EEP/...

Answer 3

There are differences that mark both species, but are too complicated to get into here.  The more obvious differences are:

Leopard has large spots, retractable claws, and hunts by stealth, and after making it's kill, usually drags the prey up into a tree to feed.

Cheetah has many small spots, non-retractable claws (only cat with this trait), hunts by running down its prey (fastest land animal on earth), and eats its prey on the ground.

Dataind is wrong.  There are NO Leopards in South America.  He's thinking of the Jaguar, which is an entirely different animal.  And, the Leopard is NOT omnivorous.  ALL cats will eat a little vegetation now and then, but that does not make them omnivorous.  Also, a Leopard can run very fast, like most predators, but nothing compared to the Cheetah.

Answer 4

They are two distinctly different species. The leopard lives on trees and hunts during dusk. It lives in India, Indo-China and South America. The panther, jaguar are versions of the leopard. The cheetah on the other hand, is a Africa-based animal which hunts on the grassy plains of Africa. It is a fast runner unlike the leopard and catches its prey after running around 200 metres or less. The leopard cannot run but either pounces on its prey or drops on it from the comfort of a tree. The cheetah eats meat from wildebeest, impala, etc. The leopard is omnivorous and eats a variety of animals and birds. I have also seen a leopard eating fruits.

Your confusion and your question stems from the fact that you are of Indian origin and in Hindi the word used for the leopard is 'cheetah'. Therefore, Indians speaking Hindi are always confused between the two species.

The reason for the use of this word is that once the cheetah was freely available in India but became extinct owing to excessive hunting by British officers posted in India before India got independence.

Answer 5

a cheetah can run a LOT faster!