Behaviour: Cheetah are diurnal cats and leopards are nocturnal cats.
Facial markings: Cheetah have black ‘tear marks’ that streak from the inner corner of their eyes and down their cheeks.
Shape of tail: A cheetah’s tail is also much more flat in shape. A leopard’s tail is much more tubular in shape.
Coat: Cheetah have spots where leopards have rosettes.
Size and body shape: Although cheetah are taller at the shoulder than a leopard and therefore stand higher above the ground, they are substantially more slender in build. The weight of a male cheetah is about 54kg and a female about 43kg. Male leopards in this area weigh closer to 60-70kg and the females 30-40kg.
Feet: Leopards have bigger front feet than back feet due to their large heads and necks, necessary for hoisting carcasses.
The cheetah on the other hand requires explosive speed and therefore has really big back feet that allow for massive acceleration.
Claws: Because cheetah require rapid acceleration and because they are turning at such high speeds, they have non-retractable claws to give them extra traction. Leopards on the other hand, do not need this as much and so their claws retract.
Habitat: Because a cheetah hunts at speeds of 114km/hr, they need fairly open spaces to get to those speeds safely. Leopards on the other hand, hunt by using their camouflage so they prefer more densely covered areas.
Relationship to humans: Although both species are generally quite fearful of humans in the wild; cheetah are even more so than leopards.
Relationship to humans: Although both species are generally quite fearful of humans in the wild; cheetah are even more so than leopards.
