🐟 Great barracuda vs Cheetah 🐆
The great barracuda and the cheetah are about the same size. They are about the same.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐟 Great barracuda | 🐆 Cheetah |
|---|---|---|
| Size They are about the same size. | 6.6 ft2 m1 | 5.8 to 7.4 ft1.8 to 2.3 m2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the great barracuda yet. | no checked number yet | 60 to 70 mph96 to 112 km/h2 |
| Weight They are about the same. | 110 lb50 kg1 | 75 to 141 lb34 to 64 kg2 |
| Lives The great barracuda usually lives about twice as long as the cheetah. | 18 years18 years1 | 8 to 10 years8 to 10 years2 |
| Eats The great barracuda eats fish; the cheetah eats meat. | fish, squid and sometimes shrimp | antelopes such as gazelles and impalas, and hares |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | warm shallow seas near the surface, in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans | the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa, and a few in Iran |
Which one? Great barracuda or cheetah
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the great barracuda yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
10 things to know about Great barracuda vs Cheetah
- The great barracuda: A long, slim fish of warm shallow seas.
- The cheetah: The fastest runner on land, built light and long like a greyhound.
- They are different kinds of animal. The great barracuda is a fish, so it breathes with gills; the cheetah is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk.
- The great barracuda and the cheetah are about the same size: 2 against 1.
- They are about the same. That is 1 for the great barracuda and 2 for the cheetah.
- The great barracuda usually lives about twice as long as the cheetah. Usual lifespans: 1 for the great barracuda and 2 for the cheetah.
- The great barracuda eats fish, squid and sometimes shrimp. The cheetah eats antelopes such as gazelles and impalas, and hares.
- The great barracuda lives in warm shallow seas near the surface, in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The cheetah lives in the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa, and a few in Iran. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The great barracuda: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The cheetah: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🐟 Great barracuda
- A great barracuda lives in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans.
- It stays near the surface in shallow water.
- It eats fish, squid and sometimes shrimp.
🐆 Cheetah
- A cheetah can't roar. It purrs, and it makes a chirp like a bird.
- The black lines from its eyes to its mouth may help cut the glare of the sun.
- Its claws stay out a little, like the spikes on a runner's shoes.
Questions kids ask about Great barracuda and Cheetah
Which is bigger, great barracuda or cheetah?
The great barracuda and the cheetah are about the same size: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, great barracuda or cheetah?
They are about the same. That is 1 for the great barracuda and 2 for the cheetah.
Which lives longer, great barracuda or cheetah?
The great barracuda usually lives about twice as long as the cheetah. Usual lifespans: 1 for the great barracuda and 2 for the cheetah.
What do great barracuda and cheetah eat?
The great barracuda eats fish, squid and sometimes shrimp. The cheetah eats antelopes such as gazelles and impalas, and hares.
Where do great barracuda and cheetah live?
The great barracuda lives in warm shallow seas near the surface, in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The cheetah lives in the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa, and a few in Iran. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, great barracuda or cheetah?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/barracuda-vs-cheetah
Where these numbers come from
- FishBase, Sphyraena barracuda (great barracuda), checked 10 November 2026.
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, Cheetah, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.