Balkan Maple vs Gepard

Acer hyrcanum compared with Acinonyx jubatus

Key Differences

Balkan Maple is Least Concern while Gepard is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Balkan Maple	Gepard
Kingdom	Plantae (Pflanzen)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Säugetiere)
Order	Sapindales (Seifenbaumartige)	Carnivora (Raubtiere)
Family	Sapindaceae	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Acer	Acinonyx (Cheetahs)
Species	Acer hyrcanum	Acinonyx jubatus

Conservation Status

Balkan Maple

LC — Least Concern

Gepard

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~6.7K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Balkan Maple	Gepard
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	12 years
Average Length	—	1.5 m
Average Weight	—	50.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Balkan Maple

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Gepard

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.

Balkan Maple

The Balkan Maple (Acer hyrcanum) is a species in the genus Acer. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Gepard

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.