🐆 Cheetah vs Shortfin mako 🦈
The shortfin mako is about one and a half times as long as the cheetah. The shortfin mako weighs about twice as much as the cheetah.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐆 Cheetah | 🦈 Shortfin mako |
|---|---|---|
| Size The shortfin mako is about one and a half times as long as the cheetah. | 5.8 to 7.4 ft1.8 to 2.3 m1 | 10 to 12 ft3.2 to 3.8 m2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the shortfin mako yet. | 60 to 70 mph96 to 112 km/h1 | no checked number yet |
| Weight The shortfin mako weighs about twice as much as the cheetah. | 75 to 141 lb34 to 64 kg1 | 132 to 298 lb60 to 135 kg2 |
| Lives The shortfin mako usually lives about 3 times as long as the cheetah. | 8 to 10 years8 to 10 years1 | 29 to 32 years29 to 32 years2 |
| Eats The cheetah eats meat; the shortfin mako eats fish. | antelopes such as gazelles and impalas, and hares | mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa, and a few in Iran | open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface |
Which one? Cheetah or shortfin mako
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the shortfin mako 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 Shortfin mako
- The cheetah: The fastest runner on land, built light and long like a greyhound.
- The shortfin mako: A sleek open-ocean shark that travels far across the sea.
- They are different kinds of animal. The cheetah is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk; the shortfin mako is a fish, so it breathes with gills.
- The shortfin mako is about one and a half times as long as the cheetah: 2 against 1.
- The shortfin mako weighs about twice as much as the cheetah. That is 1 for the cheetah and 2 for the shortfin mako.
- The shortfin mako usually lives about 3 times as long as the cheetah. Usual lifespans: 1 for the cheetah and 2 for the shortfin mako.
- The cheetah eats antelopes such as gazelles and impalas, and hares. The shortfin mako eats mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid.
- The cheetah lives in the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa, and a few in Iran. The shortfin mako lives in open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The cheetah: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The shortfin mako: in danger (Endangered 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.
🦈 Shortfin mako
- A shortfin mako travels very long distances.
- Females are bigger than males.
- It lives in warm and cool seas around the world.
Questions kids ask about Cheetah and Shortfin mako
Which is bigger, cheetah or shortfin mako?
The shortfin mako is about one and a half times as long as the cheetah: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, cheetah or shortfin mako?
The shortfin mako weighs about twice as much as the cheetah. That is 1 for the cheetah and 2 for the shortfin mako.
Which lives longer, cheetah or shortfin mako?
The shortfin mako usually lives about 3 times as long as the cheetah. Usual lifespans: 1 for the cheetah and 2 for the shortfin mako.
What do cheetah and shortfin mako eat?
The cheetah eats antelopes such as gazelles and impalas, and hares. The shortfin mako eats mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid.
Where do cheetah and shortfin mako live?
The cheetah lives in the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa, and a few in Iran. The shortfin mako lives in open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, cheetah or shortfin mako?
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/cheetah-vs-mako-shark
Where these numbers come from
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, Cheetah, checked 30 October 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Isurus oxyrinchus (shortfin mako), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.