Chita vs Cofre de Perote Salamander

Acinonyx jubatus compared with Isthmura naucampatepetl

Key Differences

• Chita is Vulnerable while Cofre de Perote Salamander is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chita	Cofre de Perote Salamander
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Amphibia (Amphibians)
Order	Carnivora (carnívoros)	Caudata (Urodela)
Family	Felidae (Cats)	Plethodontidae
Genus	Acinonyx (Cheetahs)	Isthmura
Species	Acinonyx jubatus	Isthmura naucampatepetl

Evolutionary Relationship

Chita and Cofre de Perote Salamander share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (cordados)

Conservation Status

Chita

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~6.7K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Cofre de Perote Salamander

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chita	Cofre de Perote Salamander
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	12 years	—
Average Length	1.5 m	—
Average Weight	50.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chita

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.

Cofre de Perote Salamander

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Nearctic and Neotropic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Mexico. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Chita

El guepardo es el animal terrestre más rápido de la Tierra, alcanzando velocidades de 112 km/h en distancias cortas en las praderas de África e Irán. Complexión esbelta con un pecho profundo, patas largas y distintivas marcas negras en forma de lágrima. A diferencia de otros grandes felinos, los guepardos vocalizan con chirridos y ronroneos. Vulnerable, con solo ~7.000 individuos restantes debido a la fragmentación del hábitat y la competencia con depredadores más grandes.

Cofre de Perote Salamander

The Cofre de Perote Salamander (Isthmura naucampatepetl) is a critically endangered lungless salamander in the family Plethodontidae, known only from a single extinct volcanic peak—Cofre de Perote (Nauhcampatépetl) in the Mexican state of Veracruz. As a plethodontid, it relies entirely on cutaneous respiration through its moist skin, making it acutely dependent on cool, humid montane cloud forest conditions at high elevations. The species is associated with the pine-oak and cloud forest zones near the summit of Cofre de Perote, an isolated habitat island rising above the surrounding lowlands of Veracruz state. Such extreme topographic restriction means the entire species occupies an area of a few square kilometres, making it one of the most geographically limited vertebrates in North America. It is classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN due to its extremely small and severely fragmented range, ongoing habitat degradation from agricultural encroachment, logging, and reforestation with non-native pine species, and the probable future impacts of climate change on cloud forest at high elevation. Population size estimates are very uncertain, but field surveys have found the species to be extremely rare. No captive breeding programmes are currently known to exist for this taxon.