Cheetah vs plains zebra

Acinonyx jubatus compared with Equus quagga

Key Differences

• Cheetah is Vulnerable while plains zebra is Near Threatened.
• Cheetah is carnivore while plains zebra is herbivore.
• plains zebra is 7.0x heavier than Cheetah.
• plains zebra lives longer (25 years vs 12 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cheetah	plains zebra
Kingdom same	Animalia (动物界)	Animalia (动物界)
Phylum same	Chordata (脊索动物门)	Chordata (脊索动物门)
Class same	Mammalia (哺乳動物)	Mammalia (哺乳動物)
Order	Carnivora (食肉目)	Perissodactyla (奇蹄目)
Family	Felidae (Cats)	Equidae (Horses & Zebras)
Genus	Acinonyx (Cheetahs)	Equus (Horses & Zebras)
Species	Acinonyx jubatus	Equus quagga

Evolutionary Relationship

Cheetah and plains zebra share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (哺乳動物)

Conservation Status

Cheetah

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~6.7K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

plains zebra

NT — Near Threatened

Population: ~750.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cheetah	plains zebra
Diet	Carnivore	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	12 years	25 years
Average Length	1.5 m	2.3 m
Average Weight	50.0 kg	350.0 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.

plains zebra

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 5 distinct biome types within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Cheetah

猎豹是地球上奔跑最快的陆地动物，在非洲和伊朗草原上短距离冲刺速度可达112千米/小时。体型纤细，胸深腿长，具有标志性的黑色泪纹。与其他大型猫科动物不同，猎豹以吱鸣声和咕噜声交流。由于栖息地碎片化和与更大型捕食者的竞争，猎豹被列为易危，野外仅剩约7,000只。

plains zebra

数量最多的野生马科动物，平原斑马（Equus quagga）栖居于东非和南非的草原和稀树草原，从小型家庭群到大规模聚集均有分布。每个个体独特的黑白条纹图案可能起到迷惑捕食者、驱避吸血昆虫和促进个体识别的作用。斑马是狮子、鬣狗和鳄鱼的主要猎物，支撑着稀树草原食物网。

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇼 Botswana 🇰🇪 Kenya 🇹🇿 Tanzania