🦈 Bull shark vs Cheetah 🐆
The bull shark is a bit bigger than the cheetah. The bull shark weighs about twice as much as the cheetah.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦈 Bull shark | 🐆 Cheetah |
|---|---|---|
| Size The bull shark is a bit bigger than the cheetah. | 7.5 to 9.3 ft2.3 to 2.8 m1 | 5.8 to 7.4 ft1.8 to 2.3 m2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the bull shark yet. | no checked number yet | 60 to 70 mph96 to 112 km/h2 |
| Weight The bull shark weighs about twice as much as the cheetah. | 209 to 245 lb95 to 111 kg1 | 75 to 141 lb34 to 64 kg2 |
| Lives The bull shark usually lives about 4 times as long as the cheetah. | 32 years32 years1 | 8 to 10 years8 to 10 years2 |
| Eats The bull shark eats fish; the cheetah eats meat. | mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays, and also crabs | 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 coastal seas, and also rivers and lakes | the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa, and a few in Iran |
Which one? Bull shark or cheetah
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the bull shark 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 Bull shark vs Cheetah
- The bull shark: A sturdy shark that can swim in salt water and in fresh water.
- The cheetah: The fastest runner on land, built light and long like a greyhound.
- They are different kinds of animal. The bull shark 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 bull shark is a bit bigger than the cheetah: 1 against 2.
- The bull shark weighs about twice as much as the cheetah. That is 1 for the bull shark and 2 for the cheetah.
- The bull shark usually lives about 4 times as long as the cheetah. Usual lifespans: 1 for the bull shark and 2 for the cheetah.
- The bull shark eats mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays, and also crabs. The cheetah eats antelopes such as gazelles and impalas, and hares.
- The bull shark lives in warm, shallow coastal seas, and also rivers and lakes. 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 bull shark: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The cheetah: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🦈 Bull shark
- A bull shark can swim in salt water and in fresh water.
- It is the only shark that can stay in fresh water for a long time.
- It eats mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays.
🐆 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 Bull shark and Cheetah
Which is bigger, bull shark or cheetah?
The bull shark is a bit bigger than the cheetah: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, bull shark or cheetah?
The bull shark weighs about twice as much as the cheetah. That is 1 for the bull shark and 2 for the cheetah.
Which lives longer, bull shark or cheetah?
The bull shark usually lives about 4 times as long as the cheetah. Usual lifespans: 1 for the bull shark and 2 for the cheetah.
What do bull shark and cheetah eat?
The bull shark eats mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays, and also crabs. The cheetah eats antelopes such as gazelles and impalas, and hares.
Where do bull shark and cheetah live?
The bull shark lives in warm, shallow coastal seas, and also rivers and lakes. 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, bull shark 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/bull-shark-vs-cheetah
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Carcharhinus leucas (bull shark), 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.