WHO WILL WIN?
Cheetah
CHIRRUP-ZOOM
Hyena
WHOOP-HAHA
THE SETUP

Cheetah vs Hyena

Cheetah
Cheetah
Hyena
Hyena

Pretend a cheetah and a hyena meet in grassland. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

Yes. They could meet in the real wild. This page is still a what-if.

This is pretend and based on facts. Real animals usually hide or leave.

Read the facts. Make your card. The page waits to pick.

Corner A

Cheetah

Acinonyx jubatus · The land-speed record in spots.

Cheetah
Home
African savanna · Lives in Africa
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Cheetah is medium.

Sprint specialist.

Huge eyes, huge field of view.

A sprinter, not a wrestler.

  • Cheetah is medium and very fast.
  • They prefer gazelles and other speedy snacks they can outrun.
  • Open plains are a racetrack.

Family: Other cats, but cheetahs are the odd cousins who joined track team.

Corner B

Hyena

Crocuta crocuta · The bone-crunching comedian of the savanna.

Hyena
Home
African savanna · Lives in Africa
Food
Meat
Group
Hunts with a pack
Size
Hyena is medium.

Clan chasers and bone-crushers.

Night hunters with a nose for leftovers and a bite that opens bones.

Bold in a clan.

  • Hyena is medium and fast.
  • They hunt more than they scavenge.
  • Open grassland where clans can hear each other across the night.

Family: Not dogs.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

Stand them next to a grown-up. Who is bigger and heavier?

1.70 m

Grown-up

0.90 m

Cheetah to scale

Cheetah

0.85 m

Hyena to scale

Hyena

Height to scale. A grown-up is 1.7 m.

Cheetah50 kg

About as heavy as a fifth-grader — and faster than the school bus.

Hyena70 kg

About as heavy as a big dog that skipped every 'drop it' lesson.

Cheetah

0.90 m · 50 kg

Cheetah is medium. 50 kg.

Hyena

0.85 m · 70 kg

Hyena is medium. 70 kg.

Kilograms are honest. A small animal can still have a strong tool.

Who would you pick for size?

TOOLKIT!

TOOLS

Teeth, claws, horns, venom, kick — what tools do they have?

  • Weapon: High-speed trip claws
  • Armor: Tearaway lightness
  • Senses: Huge eyes, huge field of view.

Cheetah · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Bone-blender jaws
  • Armor: Scrappy stamina
  • Senses: Night hunters with a nose for leftovers and a bite that opens bones.

Hyena · labeled field diagram

Cheetah400 psi bite
Hyena1100 psi bite

Cheetah

High-speed trip claws

Tool: high-speed trip claws. Bite: 400 psi.

Hyena

Bone-blender jaws

Tool: bone-blender jaws. Bite: 1,100 psi.

A bite number is only one tool. Coils and kicks count too.

Whose tools would you trust?

ZOOM!

SPEED

Who gets there first?

Cheetah
110 km/h
Hyena
60 km/h
Cheetah110 km/h
Hyena60 km/h

Cheetah

110 km/h

Cheetah can go 110 km/h. That is very fast.

Hyena

60 km/h

Hyena can go 60 km/h. That is fast.

A fast animal can miss. A slow one only has to connect.

Who takes the speed card?

HOME MAP!

HOME

They meet in grassland. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
CheetahHyenaBoth

Meeting biome: grassland. Colored land is where each animal actually lives.

Cheetah

This is home · Lives in Africa

Cheetah lives in places like grassland.

Hyena

This is home · Lives in Africa

Hyena lives in places like grassland.

Yes. They could meet in the real wild. This page is still a what-if.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Cheetah
Meat · Sprint specialist.
Hyena
Meat · Clan chasers and bone-crushers.

Cheetah

Meat · Sprint specialist.

They prefer gazelles and other speedy snacks they can outrun.

Hyena

Meat · Clan chasers and bone-crushers.

They hunt more than they scavenge.

A plant eater is not 'safe.' Hippos and elephants still end arguments.

Whose hunting or defending helps more?

MOOD!

MOOD

Alone vs team. This rumble is one vs one.

Cheetah
Lives alone
Hyena
Hunts with a pack
Cheetah6 grit /10
Hyena9 grit /10

Cheetah

Lives alone

A sprinter, not a wrestler. Grit: 6/10.

Hyena

Hunts with a pack

Bold in a clan. Grit: 9/10.

Pack and pride animals lose their backup in a 1-v-1.

Who is better for a solo meeting?

PING!

BRAINS

Who notices first and thinks next?

Cheetah
6/10
Hyena
7/10
Cheetah6 brains /10
Hyena7 brains /10

Cheetah

6/10

Huge eyes, huge field of view.

Hyena

7/10

Night hunters with a nose for leftovers and a bite that opens bones.

In the wild, brains often mean leave before it starts.

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Cheetah
Acinonyx jubatus
Hyena
Crocuta crocuta

Cheetah

Acinonyx jubatus

Other cats, but cheetahs are the odd cousins who joined track team.

Hyena

Crocuta crocuta

Not dogs.

Cousins are clues, not a score.

Not a fight point. Who has the wilder family story?

WILD CARD!

SPECIAL

What special move did they evolve?

Cheetah
Hundred-Kilo Zoom
Hyena
Whoop-and-Swarm

Cheetah

Hundred-Kilo Zoom

0 to 100 km/h in about 3 seconds.

Hyena

Whoop-and-Swarm

The laugh is a call, not a joke.

A secret move here is a real wild tool, not a video-game combo.

Whose special move would change the meeting?

YOUR SCORECARD

Your scorecard

Tap who has each fact. Then tap who you think wins.

  • SIZE & WEIGHT

  • TOOLS

  • SPEED

  • HOME

  • FOOD

  • MOOD

  • BRAINS

  • SPECIAL

Your card: Cheetah 0 · Hyena 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

Keep going for the pretend meeting, then the science pick.

FWOOSH!

THEY MEET

Cheetah runs first. Hyena does not race. They wait in grassland.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

KICK!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Hyena is heavier. Cheetah uses high-speed trip claws. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

STOOMP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Cheetah tries the Hundred-Kilo Zoom. Hyena tries the Whoop-and-Swarm. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Hyena!

A CLEAR PICK

You skipped a final pick. The facts still stamp a champ.

On grassland, Hyena wins. Hyena's bone-blender jaws helps more. Cheetah would still win some meetings at home.

In the wild, most animals skip a fight. We still judge who the bodies and the place would favor.

Science card: Cheetah 2 · Hyena 5 · ties 1.

Your card: Cheetah 0 · Hyena 0.

The last page follows the whole animal — body plus home — not one bar chart.

Send this fight

A friend can read the same facts.

Also starring · Cheetah

Rozi the cheetah. Zoom is not a metaphor.

Cincinnati Zoo · Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

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