Cheetah vs Floating Fern

Acinonyx jubatus compared with Salvinia natans

Key Differences

• Cheetah is Vulnerable while Floating Fern is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cheetah	Floating Fern
Kingdom	Animalia (สัตว์)	Plantae (พืช)
Phylum	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Carnivora (สัตว์กินเนื้อ)	Salviniales (Salviniales)
Family	Felidae (Cats)	Salviniaceae
Genus	Acinonyx (Cheetahs)	Salvinia
Species	Acinonyx jubatus	Salvinia natans

Conservation Status

Cheetah

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~6.7K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Floating Fern

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cheetah	Floating Fern
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.

Floating Fern

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (4 countries), Europe (9 countries), North America (Honduras), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia).

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.