WHO WILL WIN?
Cheetah
CHIRRUP-ZOOM
Lion
ROOOAR
THE SETUP

Cheetah vs Lion

Cheetah
Cheetah
Lion
Lion

Pretend a cheetah and a lion 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

Lion

Panthera leo · The mane event.

Lion
Home
African savanna · Lives in Africa
Food
Meat
Group
Lives in a team
Size
Lion is medium.

Lionesses stalk and rush as a team.

Night vision and a roar you can hear for kilometers.

Bold on home grass.

  • Lion is medium and very fast.
  • Lions hunt antelope, zebra, and even buffalo — usually as a team.
  • Lions love open grass country where they can stalk in plain sight.

Family: Tiger, leopard, jaguar, and your house cat (very, very distant cousin).

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

1.20 m

Lion to scale

Lion

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.

Lion190 kg

About as heavy as two grown-up humans stacked together.

Cheetah

0.90 m · 50 kg

Cheetah is medium. 50 kg.

Lion

1.20 m · 190 kg

Lion is medium. 190 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: Retractable meat hooks
  • Armor: Neck-guard mane
  • Senses: Night vision and a roar you can hear for kilometers.

Lion · labeled field diagram

Cheetah400 psi bite
Lion650 psi bite

Cheetah

High-speed trip claws

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

Lion

Retractable meat hooks

Tool: retractable meat hooks. Bite: 650 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
Lion
80 km/h
Cheetah110 km/h
Lion80 km/h

Cheetah

110 km/h

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

Lion

80 km/h

Lion can go 80 km/h. That is very 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
CheetahLionBoth

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

Cheetah

This is home · Lives in Africa

Cheetah lives in places like grassland.

Lion

This is home · Lives in Africa

Lion 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.
Lion
Meat · Lionesses stalk and rush as a team.

Cheetah

Meat · Sprint specialist.

They prefer gazelles and other speedy snacks they can outrun.

Lion

Meat · Lionesses stalk and rush as a team.

Lions hunt antelope, zebra, and even buffalo — usually as a team.

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
Lion
Lives in a team
Cheetah6 grit /10
Lion9 grit /10

Cheetah

Lives alone

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

Lion

Lives in a team

Bold on home grass. 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
Lion
7/10
Cheetah6 brains /10
Lion7 brains /10

Cheetah

6/10

Huge eyes, huge field of view.

Lion

7/10

Night vision and a roar you can hear for kilometers.

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
Lion
Panthera leo

Cheetah

Acinonyx jubatus

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

Lion

Panthera leo

Tiger, leopard, jaguar, and your house cat (very, very distant cousin).

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
Lion
Pride Roar Stun

Cheetah

Hundred-Kilo Zoom

0 to 100 km/h in about 3 seconds.

Lion

Pride Roar Stun

A lion's roar can travel 8 kilometers.

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 · Lion 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

SKREEE!

THEY MEET

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

CHOMP!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SNAP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Cheetah tries the Hundred-Kilo Zoom. Lion tries the Pride Roar Stun. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Lion!

A STOMP

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

On grassland, Lion wins. Lion is a lot heavier. 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 · Lion 5 · ties 1.

Your card: Cheetah 0 · Lion 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.

Victory lap · Lion

The champ works the camera. Mane: present. Dignity: optional.

Wikimedia Commons · Fun Zoo Miami / CC. Source

1/17 · scroll