The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), the jaguar (Panthera onca), and the leopard (Panthera pardus) are three species of cats characterized by yellow or tawny fur with spots and are considered big cats. Because of their physical resemblance, they could be confused with one another.
The cheetah is a member of the genus Acinonyx, within the phylum Acinonychini of the subfamily Felinae. In contrast, the leopard and jaguar are members of the genus Panthera in the subfamily Pantherinae, and together they appear to be the closest living relatives of the lion (Panthera leo).
While the jaguar is considered a monotypic species as of 2017, the cheetah and leopard are recognized as split into separate subspecies 2017. The cheetah and leopard inhabit the Old World and are often sympatric, while the jaguar inhabits the New World.
In general, the cheetah has a slender build that helps it run fast, while the leopard and jaguar have a more robust build, the latter being the latter generally larger and stronger than the former. While cheetah has the spots, leopard and jaguar have rosettes instead. Jaguar rosettes are usually larger compared to leopard rosettes and have spots inside. roaring cats”, as opposed to cheetahs.
While cheetahs have evenly spaced single spots, jaguars have smaller spots within polygonal rosettes. Leopards typically have smaller, more rounded rosettes than jaguars.
Due to the structure of their larynxes, leopards and jaguars have the ability to roar and are thus classified as “roaring cats”, unlike cheetahs.
| Jaguar | Leopard | Cheetah | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight average | 56–90 kg (123–198 lb) up to 150 kg (330 lb) | 33–90 kg (73–198 lb) with a maximum weight of 98 kg (216 lb) | 21–72 kg (46–159 lb) |
| Height at shoulder | 64–76 cm (25–30 in) | Avarage for males is 61–71 cm (24–28 in), while females are 56–64 cm (22–25 in) | 70–90 centimetres (28–35 in) |
| Head to tail length | 1.1 to 1.9 m (43 to 75 in) | 89 to 191 cm (35 to 75 in) | 112–150 cm (44–59 in) |
| Tail | Jaguar has the shortest tail of any big cat, at 46–76 cm (18–30 in) length | Tail is 61–99 cm (24–39 in) long | 80–92 cm (31–36 in) |
