Telling them apart
Cheetah vs Jaguar
These two are in the same family, so the differences are in the detail.
Cheetah
Acinonyx jubatus
Jaguar
Panthera onca
Field marks
Cheetah
Jaguar
build
Build is distinctly slim, with a deep chest, long limbs, and a small streamlined head.
en.wikipedia.orgBuild is compact and muscular, on legs noticeably shorter than other big cats of the same weight.
en.wikipedia.orgcoat
Coat carries around 2,000 evenly spaced, solid black spots each measuring roughly 3 to 5 cm.
en.wikipedia.orgRosettes are large and dark with a small central spot visible inside each.
en.wikipedia.orgface
Two solid black lines run from the inner corner of each eye down to the mouth.
en.wikipedia.orgNot recorded
tail
Tail ends in a prominent bushy white tuft.
en.wikipedia.orgTail is proportionally very short, the shortest of any big cat.
en.wikipedia.orgVitals
Cheetah
Jaguar
Mass
37.9 to 58.8 kg
50.4 to 83.9 kg
Height
67 to 94 cm
57 to 81 cm
Lifespan
up to 20.5 yrs
up to 28.4 yrs
In the field
Cheetah
Jaguar
Active
Daytime (diurnal)
Night (nocturnal)
Status
Vulnerable
Near threatened
Recorded in
Namibia
Costa Rica
Their recorded ranges do not overlap in the atlas, so a sighting is very unlikely to be ambiguous in the field.