Blind Pricklypear vs Fahad Sayad (الفهد الصياد)

Opuntia rufida compared with Acinonyx jubatus

Key Differences

Blind Pricklypear is Least Concern while Fahad Sayad (الفهد الصياد) is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blind Pricklypear	Fahad Sayad (الفهد الصياد)
Kingdom	Plantae (نباتات)	Animalia (حيوانات)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (كاسيات البذور)	Chordata (حبليات)
Class	Magnoliopsida (ماغنولانية)	Mammalia (ثدييات)
Order	Caryophyllales (قرنفليات)	Carnivora (لواحم)
Family	Cactaceae	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Opuntia	Acinonyx (Cheetahs)
Species	Opuntia rufida	Acinonyx jubatus

Conservation Status

Blind Pricklypear

LC — Least Concern

Fahad Sayad (الفهد الصياد)

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~6.7K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blind Pricklypear	Fahad Sayad (الفهد الصياد)
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	12 years
Average Length	—	1.5 m
Average Weight	—	50.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Blind Pricklypear

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, flooded grasslands and savannas, and deserts and xeric shrublands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Found in Namibia.

Fahad Sayad (الفهد الصياد)

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 9 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Botswana, Iran, Kenya, Namibia, and Tanzania. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Blind Pricklypear

The Blind Pricklypear (Opuntia rufida) is a species in the genus Opuntia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, flooded grasslands and savannas, and deserts and xeric shrublands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Fahad Sayad (الفهد الصياد)

The fastest land animal on Earth, reaching speeds of 112 km/h over short distances across African and Iranian grasslands. Slender build with a deep chest, long legs, and distinctive black tear-stripe markings. Unlike other big cats, cheetahs vocalize with chirps and purrs. Vulnerable, with only ~7,000 remaining due to habitat fragmentation and competition with larger predators.