Tiger vs. Cheetah: Which Big Cat Would Win a Fight?

Tigers are large, heavyweight wildcats. Cheetahs are slender and built for speed. When they’re playing the game of life on their terms, these felines come out on top almost every time. But who reigns supreme in a cat showdown? Will it be the world’s biggest cat species or the fastest? Follow this tiger vs. cheetah battle to find out which cat would win in a fight.

Comparing Both Wild Cat Competitors

Tiger: Top Fighting Advantages

These striped assassins have over 100 black stripes covering their orange-red body. These iconic stripes are as unique as a human’s fingerprint; no two tigers have the exact same striped pattern. This one-of-a-kind fur design helps them camouflage in the thick jungle bush.

Ambush Hunters

Tigers have been around for almost 2 million years, and they’re experts at annihilating threats and taking down prey. They have specially structured eyes that can see in the dark, which help them hunt at night.

Tigers can leap 20 feet to pounce on their unsuspecting meal. Powerful jaws crush the prey’s windpipe, and 3-inch-long canines sever arteries. Then the rough papillae-covered tongue licks every bit of flesh off the fresh kill’s bones. These massive cats will eat over 60 pounds of meat in one sitting.

Biggest Cat Species

Tigers are the biggest cat species on the planet. How huge do these tigers get? On average, tigers weigh around 450 pounds, and the Siberian tiger subspecies can weigh much more! Some Siberian tigers measure 13 feet long and weigh over 600 pounds!

There were once nine tiger subspecies worldwide. Today there are six species living throughout the world. The Bengal tiger counts for almost 50% of the tiger population.

Excellent Swimmers

Other wild cats might avoid the water, but not tigers. These muscular cats use their strong bodies to propel themselves through the water. They even have webbing between their toes that help them push the water back with each stroke of their powerful paws.

Highly Adaptable

Another advantage of the tiger is its ability to survive in various environments. The tiger is ready for a fight in the water, grasslands, desert, or snow.

Take, for instance, the Siberian tiger. During the warm season, their large, widely spaced stripes help them camouflage with the background. Eventually, pale orange colors become the perfect coat for their fall forest backdrop. As the winter season comes around, the tiger’s white stomach and chest camouflage them against the snow.

Cheetah: Top Fighting Advantages

The cheetah will be an instant winner if this animal battle comes down to speed. A cheetah can accelerate from standing still to 68 mph in three seconds! They can reach a top speed of 70 mph. To put it in perspective, the fastest human in the world can’t even run 30 miles per hour.

Though a small subspecies called the Asiatic cheetah lives in central Iran, the cheetah in this battle is the more common African cheetah. It’s made for speed and agility.

Fast Anatomy

Have you ever seen a cheetah running at full speed? Their feet only touch the ground twice during each stride. They’re so agile that they can turn in mid-air while sprinting! No other big cat can do that. At full speed, a cheetah’s stride can be 21 feet long. That’s the size of two compact cars.

Everything about the cheetah’s anatomy is built for speed. They have a strong muscular tail that works as a counterbalance and a rudder. Their hard paws help them run across the terrain without sustaining injury. And the cheetah’s claws are more similar to those of a dog than those of a cat. The semi-retractable claws help them gain speed and maintain traction.

Keen Eyesight

If this showdown happens in the middle of the day, the cheetah gains the upper hand. Cheetahs can spot predators and prey far off on the sunniest of days. When they’re on the offensive, these sneaky cats prefer to be a football field or less away before launching an attack.

Natural Sunglasses

Cheetahs primarily hunt during daylight hours. They rely on their keen eyesight to mark their targets, and they have a special trick for keeping the sun out of their eyes.

Look closely at a cheetah’s face. You’ll notice they have black marks directly beneath their eyes. These tear masks help protect them from the sun’s glare. It’s basically a natural, built-in form of athletes’ “eye black.”

Tiger vs. Cheetah: Who Will Win?

The tiger wins this animal battle! Tigers and cheetahs have different approaches to survival. One of the cheetah’s top advantages is its superior speed and agility. This helps the smaller wild cat evade threats and exhaust prey. However, the small anatomy of the cheetah quickly becomes a disadvantage when battling a tiger face-to-face.

Tigers are bigger, stronger, and made to wrestle. Once these two big cats started to brawl, the tiger would quickly come out on top. When it comes to the tiger vs. cheetah, team stripes take the win. Tigers are better equipped for big cat fights. They are, after all, the biggest cat species in the world!

The photo featured at the top of this post is ©