Greyhound vs. Cheetah: Weight
Greyhounds are huge breed dogs that can weigh 60-100 pounds depending on their health and living conditions. Cheetahs can weigh substantially more, despite their similar appearance in size. Cheetahs can weigh anything from 46 to 160 pounds when fully grown.
Greyhound vs. Cheetah: Colors
Cheetahs are pale buff or grayish-white in hue, with paler and whiter underbelly. On the pelage, black patches are close together, with a series of black rings around the tail’s terminal third. Greyhounds can be any color, including fawn, black, red, blue, gray, or white, despite their name.
While cheetahs and greyhounds both run fast, they come from very different habitats. A cheetah, for instance, is a large cat found primarily in eastern and southern Africa, according to National Geographic. These carnivorous animals weigh between 45 and 160 pounds, according to the African Wildlife Foundation, and are currently facing wildlife loss which has threatened the survival of their species. Interactions with humans have also reduced cheetah populations.
Cheetahs are one of the fastest animals in the world. Running at speeds of up to 70 mph (via National Geographic), cheetahs can keep up with most cars on the highway — at least for a short distance. Being able to run so fast is key to helping cheetahs catch their prey.
On the other hand, greyhounds, though designed to be sprinters, can maintain a fast speed for much longer distances. For instance, greyhounds can run for several miles at or above 35 mph before theyre forced to slow down (via Psychology Today). At that rate, the greyhound could make it around seven miles in 12 minutes and be way ahead of his cheetah friend, who could only sprint for 200 yards.
But there are other speedy mammals, too, including the dog known as the greyhound. Greyhounds can cruise along at speeds of up to 45 mph (via ThoughtCo.), and their speed once made them a popular choice for track racing (via PBS). In fact, they are the fastest dog breed on Earth. Greyhounds were once so well known as speedy animals that the Greyhound bus network in the United States was named after the animals, according to Fansided.
In any all-out sprint, a cheetah would outrun a greyhound, no question. Cheetahs can take off at a quick 70 mph, while greyhounds can only manage 45 mph (via The Kids Should See This). A greyhound would find themselves quickly outpaced by the African cat. However, cheetahs cant maintain their top speed for very long. In fact, these animals can only make it a couple hundred yards before they need to decelerate (via Pets on Mom). And, as National Geographic notes, cheetahs actually need to take a breather after their athletic feats, resting for around 30 minutes before they can do something strenuous again.
Cheetah vs Greyhound Speed Test | BBC Earth
The cheetah, the world’s fastest land animal, can race up to 75 mph for short bursts. The greyhound is the fastest canid, with a peak speed of about 43 mph. Cool facts! Now let’s watch them run in super slow motion.
Note that while cheetahs and greyhounds are very, very different animals, they’ve independently evolved to have very similar running styles. Both animals use what’s called a rotary gallop, in which the leg hitting the ground moves in a circle: front left leg, then front right, then hind right, then hind left. This is the natural running style of dogs, cats, and some ungulates like deer and elk, but different than that of horses (which are built for endurance rather than sprinting speed).
They also have a similar two-phase gait: in the first, the body is elongated, parallel to the ground with both pairs of legs extended also parallel to the ground. The spine is stretched out, and the animal, in slow motion, looks like it’s flying. Then there’s the compression phase, in which the front and hind legs actually overlap underneath the animal, and the spine is crunched up, getting ready to pound the ground and push forward. It’s a pretty amazing video of some pretty amazing animals.