Cheetah vs Fringed kidney lichen

Acinonyx jubatus compared with Nephroma helveticum

Key Differences

• Cheetah is Vulnerable while Fringed kidney lichen is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cheetah	Fringed kidney lichen
Kingdom	Animalia (животные)	Fungi (грибы)
Phylum	Chordata (хордовые)	Ascomycota (аскомицеты)
Class	Mammalia (млекопитающие)	Lecanoromycetes (леканоромицеты)
Order	Carnivora (хищные)	Peltigerales (пельтигеровые)
Family	Felidae (Cats)	Nephromataceae
Genus	Acinonyx (Cheetahs)	Nephroma
Species	Acinonyx jubatus	Nephroma helveticum

Conservation Status

Cheetah

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~6.7K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Fringed kidney lichen

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cheetah	Fringed kidney lichen
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	12 years	—
Average Length	1.5 m	—
Average Weight	50.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cheetah

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.

Fringed kidney lichen

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 4 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Neotropic and Oceanian realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (Norway, Portugal, Sweden), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Cheetah

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.