At first glance, these two big cats are indeed very similar. Both, the leopard and the cheetah, are beautiful, graceful predators with a spotted skin. Rarely does anyone have the opportunity to see them side by side. But in fact, they belong to different genera. The cheetah is the only representative of the genus of cheetahs, and the leopard is included in the genus of panthers. They are quite different in anatomical features, and also have differences in life habits and habitat.
External differences
The most noticeable difference between these two cats can be seen on their faces - cheetahs have unique black tear stripes running down from the inner corners of the eyes to the nose, while leopards do not. The spots on the skins of these animals are also different, if you look closely. The leopard pattern consists of specks collected in rosettes with a dark background inside, while the cheetah has clear dark spots that do not form regular ring patterns.
Also, these cats differ in size: the cheetah is slender and graceful, has practically no fat deposits, only muscles. It has a small head and small, rounded ears. The mass of an adult cheetah is on average about 50 kg, body length - up to 140 cm with a long tail. The leopard is more massive, it allows the presence of excess fat due to natural laziness, its body length reaches 250 cm, its weight is up to 70 kg. Cheetahs have longer legs, which make it the recognized champion in the development of speed among land mammals. In addition, he has peculiar claws - the cheetah is the only representative of the feline family, unable to draw them in.
Habitat
The cheetah is endangered, with the largest populations in Namibia, Botswana, Kenya and Tanzania. By misunderstanding, before the cheetah was considered dangerous to livestock and people and was exterminated by all means. Leopards live in Africa, India, Central Asia. This animal is rarely found in our country in the Transcaucasus, Primorsky Territory and in the mountains of Central Asia. In Africa, a significant proportion of leopards live in thickets of thorny bushes, giving way to cheetah meadows.
Lifestyle
The cheetah is considered one of the most peaceful big cats. They almost never attack people, unlike leopards. In circuses, lions, tigers and cheetahs appear more often, and leopards appear extremely rarely. These freedom-loving cats are cruel, vindictive and not trainable. African hunters consider the leopard the most dangerous predator for humans.
The cheetah hunts at the expense of incredible speed; it can accelerate to 115 km / h in a few seconds. But such a sprint requires a huge expenditure of energy and does not last long - if the cheetah cannot quickly overtake the victim, then it stops pursuing. Leopards hunt, waiting in ambush or sneaking up as close to their prey as possible, after which they jump and strangle it. Leopards usually try to drag their prey higher to ensure its safety, but cheetahs do not. Leopards tend to hunt at dusk in order to be invisible in their ambush. The cheetah prefers to hunt during the day, so it's easier to catch up with the victim. Leopards are solitary by nature and hunt one at a time. Cheetahs may well go hunting in a flock.
