Leopards have rosette-shaped spots. Cheetahs have solid round, or oval, spots. Leopards have no “tear” line. Cheetahs have a black “tear” line running from the inside of the eye to the mouth. Leopards are bulkier and stronger. Cheetahs are lighter, but taller, than leopards. Leopards have a familiar “cat” shape. Cheetahs are lankier than the “cat” shape. Leopards hunt at night. Cheetahs hunt during the day. Leopards like to drag prey up trees. Cheetahs prefer grassy plains. Leopards rely on stealth. Cheetahs rely on speed (up to 113 km/hr) over short distances. They are the world’s fastest animal. Leopards have strong teeth and jaws and can crunch through thick bones. Cheetahs have smaller teeth and jaws, leaving a larger nasal cavity for rapid breathing. They cannot crunch large bones. Leopards climb trees for they have retractile claws while cheetahs don’t. The cheetah can run at a speed of 113 km/hr while leopards do 60 km/hr.

A cheetah is a specific animal/species (猎豹). It only lives in the plains, in Africa. it is a very very fast runner - one of the fastest animals on the planet. they are always yellow with spots. A leopard is more like a panther - a big cat, but it lives in the jungle... Even we are not so clear on this - they are all very similar. But we all know the cheetah can run very fast.. anyway, you can see the difference here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard Leopards may sometimes be confused with two other large spotted cats, the cheetah, with which it may co-exist in Africa, and the jaguar, a neotropical species that it does not naturally co-exist with. However, the patterns of spots in each are different: the cheetah has simple black spots, evenly spread; the jaguar has small spots inside the polygonal rosettes; while the leopard normally has rounder, smaller rosettes than those of the jaguar. The cheetah has longer legs and a thinner build that makes it look more streamlined and taller but less powerfully built than the leopard. The jaguar is more similar in build to the leopard but is generally larger in size and has a more muscular, bulky appearance.[9]

For me, the most fascinating difference is about their noses... the chetaah has bigger nostrils because they need more oxygen when they are running at a creepy speed, which leopards don't do... Also, leopards have white-eye lining below their eyes which amplifies light at night when, normally, they hunt. Chetaahs hunt during the day so, on the contrary (Oh my God, Nature is soooooo incredible!), they have "tear lines" from their eyes down to the sides of the nose which prevent blindness because they absorb light of the hellish african sun while they're chasing their prey... Innocent kitties, right?... both beautiful !

I once asked someone this question. I got the answer is Cheetah is small than Leopard. Cheetah lives in different places. and running fast. Leopard is common pard we found anywhere. your name is I am who I am. http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/leopard