How is a Cheetah different from Jaguar and Leopard ??

From the fiercest to the swiftest, the 'Cats' are rightly the 'Lords of the jungle'. While Lions take pride in their loud and thunderous roar, a Cheetah's scary and fixated look makes even the lionhearted tremble.  And then there are the 'cousins' in the Cat family : Tiger, Leopard, Jaguar, Panther. But how to differentiate amongst these beasts? Not that you have to, during your out-of-luck-day, but probably the article will be of help to you, during your next visit to a zoo or a safari.

While Lions and Tigers are easily identifiable, one tend to confuse amongst Cheetah, Jaguar and Leopard. And it is quite usual for us to not able to distinguish between them. The major difference amongst these felines lies in their skin pattern and body structure. 

While Cheetahs have black solid spots running through the fur, Jaguars and Leopards have Rosettes pattern adorning the skin. Furthermore, Jaguars rosettes have spots in the centre; the structure that distinguishes them from their close cousins - Leopards. Refer the image below to visualize the difference. 

        

     

The table provides a more descriptive detailing of the Big Cats.

Property	Leopard	Jaguar	Cheetah
Skin Coat	Light skin; Rosettes without a spot in middle	Dark skin; Rosettes with spots in middle	Light Tan/Yellow skin; Black solid spots cover the fur
Legs	Short Legs	Longer than Leopard	Longer than  Leopard
Distinct feature	Most adaptive	Broad Head	Long Tail and Small Head
Natural Habitat	Africa & Asia	Americas (majorly South America)	Africa & Asia

       

Nerd notes: 

1. Cheetahs cannot roar, unlike the other felines
2. Jaguars love to stay in water and even hunts fish, crocodiles
3. Leopards like staying up a tree and are strongest climbers. It even takes its kill into the branches
4. Cheetahs are now back in India after 70 years, as 8 felines flew in from Windhoek, Namibia to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on Sept 17, 2022

Thanks for reading. Hope you liked the blog! Please provide a word of encouragement, if you did :)

- Prakhar