African forest elephant vs Cheetah

Loxodonta cyclotis compared with Acinonyx jubatus

Key Differences

• African forest elephant is Critically Endangered while Cheetah is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African forest elephant	Cheetah
Kingdom same	Animalia (สัตว์)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum same	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)
Class same	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)
Order	Proboscidea (อันดับช้าง)	Carnivora (สัตว์กินเนื้อ)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Acinonyx (Cheetahs)
Species	Loxodonta cyclotis	Acinonyx jubatus

Evolutionary Relationship

African forest elephant and Cheetah share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)

Conservation Status

African forest elephant

CR — Critically Endangered

Cheetah

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~6.7K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African forest elephant	Cheetah
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	12 years
Average Length	—	1.5 m
Average Weight	—	50.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

African forest elephant

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.

African forest elephant

The African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) is a species in the genus Loxodonta. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.