Cheetah vs Chola guitarfish

Acinonyx jubatus compared with Pseudobatos percellens

Key Differences

• Cheetah is Vulnerable while Chola guitarfish is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cheetah	Chola guitarfish
Kingdom same	Animalia (hayvan)	Animalia (hayvan)
Phylum same	Chordata (Kordalılar)	Chordata (Kordalılar)
Class	Mammalia (memeliler)	Elasmobranchii
Order	Carnivora (etçiller)	Rhinopristiformes (Rhinopristiformes)
Family	Felidae (Cats)	Rhinobatidae
Genus	Acinonyx (Cheetahs)	Pseudobatos
Species	Acinonyx jubatus	Pseudobatos percellens

Evolutionary Relationship

Cheetah and Chola guitarfish share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Kordalılar)

Conservation Status

Cheetah

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~6.7K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Chola guitarfish

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cheetah	Chola guitarfish
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.

Chola guitarfish

Habitat

Native to South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in Venezuela. Currently classified as 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.

Chola guitarfish

The Chola Guitarfish (Pseudobatos percellens), also called the Southern Guitarfish, is a cartilaginous fish in the family Rhinobatidae (guitarfishes), characterised by a body plan intermediate between sharks and rays — with a flattened, ray-like disc at the front merging into a thick, shark-like tail. The species occurs in shallow coastal waters of the tropical western Atlantic from Venezuela south through Brazil, inhabiting sandy and muddy bottoms in estuaries, bays, and nearshore coastal habitats at depths generally less than 100 metres. Guitarfishes are benthic feeders, using their broad, flat rostrum to excavate sediment and uncover crustaceans, molluscs, and small fish. Like all elasmobranchs, they are ovoviviparous or viviparous, producing small litters of live pups. The IUCN classifies the Chola Guitarfish as Endangered, reflecting severe population declines caused by high levels of bycatch in trawl fisheries throughout its coastal range in Venezuela, Trinidad, and Brazil, combined with direct fishing for meat and fins. Guitarfishes globally are among the most threatened groups of marine vertebrates, with shallow coastal habitats intensively fished and offering little refuge from demersal fishing gear. Without significant reductions in fishing pressure and targeted management measures, continued decline is anticipated.