Cheetah vs Southern white-breasted hedgehog

Acinonyx jubatus compared with Erinaceus concolor

Key Differences

• Cheetah is Vulnerable while Southern white-breasted hedgehog is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cheetah	Southern white-breasted hedgehog
Kingdom same	Animalia (животные)	Animalia (животные)
Phylum same	Chordata (хордовые)	Chordata (хордовые)
Class same	Mammalia (млекопитающие)	Mammalia (млекопитающие)
Order	Carnivora (хищные)	Erinaceomorpha (ежеобразные)
Family	Felidae (Cats)	Erinaceidae
Genus	Acinonyx (Cheetahs)	Erinaceus
Species	Acinonyx jubatus	Erinaceus concolor

Evolutionary Relationship

Cheetah and Southern white-breasted hedgehog share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (млекопитающие)

Conservation Status

Cheetah

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~6.7K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Southern white-breasted hedgehog

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cheetah	Southern white-breasted hedgehog
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.

Southern white-breasted hedgehog

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Greece.

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.