🐆 Cheetah vs Snow leopard 🐆
The cheetah and the snow leopard are about the same size. The cheetah is a bit heavier than the snow leopard.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐆 Cheetah | 🐆 Snow leopard |
|---|---|---|
| Size They are about the same size. | 5.8 to 7.4 ft1.8 to 2.3 m1 | 5.9 to 7.5 ft1.8 to 2.3 m2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the snow leopard yet. | 60 to 70 mph96 to 112 km/h1 | no checked number yet |
| Weight The cheetah is a bit heavier than the snow leopard. | 75 to 141 lb34 to 64 kg1 | 77 to 99 lb35 to 45 kg2 |
| Lives The snow leopard usually lives about twice as long as the cheetah. | 8 to 10 years8 to 10 years1 | 21 years21 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | antelopes such as gazelles and impalas, and hares | blue sheep and other animals of the mountains |
| 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 | high, cold mountains in Asia, from the forest edge up to bare rock |
Which one? Cheetah or snow leopard
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the snow leopard 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 Snow leopard
- The cheetah: The fastest runner on land, built light and long like a greyhound.
- The snow leopard: A pale, spotted cat with a long tail that lives in high mountains.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are mammals.
- The cheetah and the snow leopard are about the same size: 2 against 1.
- The cheetah is a bit heavier than the snow leopard. That is 1 for the cheetah and 2 for the snow leopard.
- The snow leopard usually lives about twice as long as the cheetah. Usual lifespans: 1 for the cheetah and 2 for the snow leopard.
- Both eat meat. The cheetah eats antelopes such as gazelles and impalas, and hares; the snow leopard eats blue sheep and other animals of the mountains.
- The cheetah lives in the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa, and a few in Iran. The snow leopard lives in high, cold mountains in Asia, from the forest edge up to bare rock. 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 snow leopard: needs help (Vulnerable 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.
🐆 Snow leopard
- A snow leopard has a tail almost as long as its body.
- It lives high in the cold mountains of Asia.
- It is so hard to see that scientists know little about it.
Questions kids ask about Cheetah and Snow leopard
Which is bigger, cheetah or snow leopard?
The cheetah and the snow leopard are about the same size: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, cheetah or snow leopard?
The cheetah is a bit heavier than the snow leopard. That is 1 for the cheetah and 2 for the snow leopard.
Which lives longer, cheetah or snow leopard?
The snow leopard usually lives about twice as long as the cheetah. Usual lifespans: 1 for the cheetah and 2 for the snow leopard.
What do cheetah and snow leopard eat?
Both eat meat. The cheetah eats antelopes such as gazelles and impalas, and hares; the snow leopard eats blue sheep and other animals of the mountains.
Where do cheetah and snow leopard live?
The cheetah lives in the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa, and a few in Iran. The snow leopard lives in high, cold mountains in Asia, from the forest edge up to bare rock. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, cheetah or snow leopard?
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-snow-leopard
Where these numbers come from
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, Cheetah, checked 30 October 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Uncia uncia (snow leopard), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.