🐆 Cheetah vs Honey badger 🦡
The cheetah is about 3 times as long as the honey badger. The cheetah weighs about 5 times as much as the honey badger.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐆 Cheetah | 🦡 Honey badger |
|---|---|---|
| Size The cheetah is about 3 times as long as the honey badger. | 5.8 to 7.4 ft1.8 to 2.3 m1 | 24 to 28 in60 to 70 cm2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the honey badger yet. | 60 to 70 mph96 to 112 km/h1 | no checked number yet |
| Weight The cheetah weighs about 5 times as much as the honey badger. | 75 to 141 lb34 to 64 kg1 | 18 to 26 lb8 to 12 kg2 |
| Lives The cheetah lives a bit longer than the honey badger. | 8 to 10 years8 to 10 years1 | 7 to 8 years7 to 8 years2 |
| Eats The cheetah eats meat; the honey badger eats plants and animals. | antelopes such as gazelles and impalas, and hares | eggs, small rodents, snakes, birds and frogs |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa, and a few in Iran | forests, grassland, rocky hills and deserts across most of Africa south of the Sahara and on the Arabian Peninsula |
Which one? Cheetah or honey badger
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the honey badger 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 Cheetah vs Honey badger
- The cheetah: The fastest runner on land, built light and long like a greyhound.
- The honey badger: A short, strong animal from Africa and Asia that eats eggs, snakes and more.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are mammals.
- The cheetah is about 3 times as long as the honey badger: 1 against 2.
- The cheetah weighs about 5 times as much as the honey badger. That is 1 for the cheetah and 2 for the honey badger.
- The cheetah lives a bit longer than the honey badger. Usual lifespans: 1 for the cheetah and 2 for the honey badger.
- The cheetah eats antelopes such as gazelles and impalas, and hares. The honey badger eats eggs, small rodents, snakes, birds and frogs.
- The cheetah lives in the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa, and a few in Iran. The honey badger lives in forests, grassland, rocky hills and deserts across most of Africa south of the Sahara and on the Arabian Peninsula. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The cheetah: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The honey badger: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🐆 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.
🦡 Honey badger
- A honey badger lives in forests, grassland and deserts.
- A male can walk a long way in one day looking for food.
- It eats eggs, small rodents, snakes, birds and frogs.
Questions kids ask about Cheetah and Honey badger
Which is bigger, cheetah or honey badger?
The cheetah is about 3 times as long as the honey badger: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, cheetah or honey badger?
The cheetah weighs about 5 times as much as the honey badger. That is 1 for the cheetah and 2 for the honey badger.
Which lives longer, cheetah or honey badger?
The cheetah lives a bit longer than the honey badger. Usual lifespans: 1 for the cheetah and 2 for the honey badger.
What do cheetah and honey badger eat?
The cheetah eats antelopes such as gazelles and impalas, and hares. The honey badger eats eggs, small rodents, snakes, birds and frogs.
Where do cheetah and honey badger live?
The cheetah lives in the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa, and a few in Iran. The honey badger lives in forests, grassland, rocky hills and deserts across most of Africa south of the Sahara and on the Arabian Peninsula. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do cheetahs eat honey badgers?
The cheetah eats antelopes such as gazelles and impalas, and hares. Honey badgers are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, cheetah or honey badger?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They can share the same kind of place, and real animals mostly keep out of each other's way. 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/cheetah-vs-honey-badger
Where these numbers come from
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, Cheetah, checked 30 October 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Mellivora capensis (honey badger), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.