WHO WILL WIN?
Cheetah
CHIRRUP-ZOOM
Zebra
BRAY-YIP
THE SETUP

Cheetah vs Zebra

Cheetah
Cheetah
Zebra
Zebra

Pretend a cheetah and a zebra 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

Zebra

Equus quagga · A living barcode with a mule's kick.

Zebra
Home
African grassland · Lives in Africa
Food
Plants
Group
Lives in a herd
Size
Zebra is big.

Grazer.

Wide-set eyes for a nearly 360° view.

Nervy and brave in a group.

  • Zebra is big and fast.
  • Grass, grass, and more grass.
  • They roam with wildebeest in giant, noisy neighborhoods on the move.

Family: Horses and donkeys.

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

1.40 m

Zebra to scale

Zebra

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.

Zebra350 kg

About the size of a small horse that learned martial arts.

Cheetah

0.90 m · 50 kg

Cheetah is medium. 50 kg.

Zebra

1.40 m · 350 kg

Zebra is big. 350 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: Rear-leg thunder kick
  • Armor: Dazzle stripes
  • Senses: Wide-set eyes for a nearly 360° view.

Zebra · labeled field diagram

Cheetah400 psi bite
Zebra300 psi bite

Cheetah

High-speed trip claws

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

Zebra

Rear-leg thunder kick

Tool: rear-leg thunder kick. Bite: 300 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
Zebra
65 km/h
Cheetah110 km/h
Zebra65 km/h

Cheetah

110 km/h

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

Zebra

65 km/h

Zebra can go 65 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
CheetahZebraBoth

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

Cheetah

This is home · Lives in Africa

Cheetah lives in places like grassland.

Zebra

This is home · Lives in Africa

Zebra 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.
Zebra
Plants · Grazer.

Cheetah

Meat · Sprint specialist.

They prefer gazelles and other speedy snacks they can outrun.

Zebra

Plants · Grazer.

Grass, grass, and more grass.

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
Zebra
Lives in a herd
Cheetah6 grit /10
Zebra7 grit /10

Cheetah

Lives alone

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

Zebra

Lives in a herd

Nervy and brave in a group. Grit: 7/10.

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
Zebra
5/10
Cheetah6 brains /10
Zebra5 brains /10

Cheetah

6/10

Huge eyes, huge field of view.

Zebra

5/10

Wide-set eyes for a nearly 360° view.

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
Zebra
Equus quagga

Cheetah

Acinonyx jubatus

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

Zebra

Equus quagga

Horses and donkeys.

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
Zebra
Zigzag Stampede

Cheetah

Hundred-Kilo Zoom

0 to 100 km/h in about 3 seconds.

Zebra

Zigzag Stampede

Zebras do not run in a straight line.

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 · Zebra 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

SKREEE!

THEY MEET

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

CHOMP!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Zebra 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. Zebra tries the Zigzag Stampede. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Zebra!

A STOMP · UNDERDOG

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

On grassland, Zebra wins. Zebra 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 4 · Zebra 2 · ties 2.

Your card: Cheetah 0 · Zebra 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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