At first glance, a cheetah and a leopard look very similar. Many people think that these are different names for the same beast. However, these are completely different representatives of the feline family.
Although the cheetah and leopard appear to be similar, these two completely different wild cats have many differences in appearance, habitat and habits. Having looked closely at them and having learned the intricacies of their life, you will never confuse them.
Cheetah
This predator lives in northern Africa, India and Central Asia. The cheetah is considered the fastest animal on earth. He develops a speed of up to 115 km per hour, but only runs for short distances. It accelerates to 75 km per hour in 2 seconds. Always chases prey in a race and never ambushes. The cheetah is a muscular, lean, medium-sized animal with a small head. Its body is no more than half a meter long. Its legs are long and sinewy. The cheetah hunts only in the daytime, as it requires the presence of light.
The cheetah is easily tamed by humans. Previously, at the royal courts, cheetahs were pets, and they were also trained for hunting.
And in order not to get tired of the heat, he prefers to arrange for food searches in the early morning or late afternoon. Small animals such as rabbits, goats, medium antelopes, birds, African boars - warthogs become its victims. First, the cheetah quietly creeps up to the target, and when it is about 10 meters away, it starts its run. It knocks down prey with its paws and strangles it. More than half of the attempts to catch the victim are unsuccessful.
Leopard
Another feline predator lives in China, Indonesia and the Far East. This is a fairly large animal, up to 3 meters in length with a tail. It also has a small head but shorter legs. Since the winter cold is familiar to the leopard, it tries to "lay off fat" on its sides. The leopard hunts only at night, from an ambush. He drags the victim up a tree. It feeds on deer, roe deer, antelopes, birds and even reptiles. Sometimes he catches fish and likes to swim. The leopard is a wonderful jumper. His jumps up can be up to 3 meters. And powerful jaws allow you to drag your prey, often exceeding its own weight, over long distances.
Leopards almost never attack people first, but the wounded animal will definitely try to take revenge on the hunter.
The main differences between a cheetah and a leopard
The cheetah has black stripes on the face along the nose, which are called "cheetah tears", the leopard has no such stripes. On the skin of a cheetah there are black, round, sometimes merging spots, on a leopard, spots are black-brown, collected in rosettes. The leopard is larger than the cheetah, almost 2 times larger and more plump. The leopard hides its claws, the cheetah does not. Thus, even in the appearance of these wild animals, there are many differences that make it easy to determine who is a cheetah and who is a leopard.
