---
title: "African elephant vs cheetah — size, speed and bite force"
description: "African elephant and cheetah compared on mass, length, speed, bite force and lifespan — every measure side by side, with why the numbers cannot settle an encounter."
url: https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/african-elephant-vs-cheetah/
site: "At One Place"
---

# African elephant vs cheetah

**African elephant vs cheetah: African elephant leads on 4 of 5 measures**

Measured comparison — not a prediction

The largest living land animal, distinguished from the Asian elephant by larger ears and a dipped back. The fastest land animal, with a lightweight frame and semi-retractable claws for traction. On the measurements below, African elephant leads on more of them — but they do not all point the same way, and the ones that disagree are the interesting part.

## The measurements

|  | African elephant | cheetah |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mass | 2,200–10,400 kg | 34–72 kg |
| Length | 5.5–7.5 m | 1.1–1.5 m |
| Height | 2.2–4 m | 0.7–0.9 m |
| Top speed | 40 km/h | 93–104 km/h |
| Lifespan | 50–70 yr | 8–17 yr |

## Where each one leads

- Mass: African elephant is 120× heavier.
- Length: African elephant is 5.0× longer.
- Height: African elephant is 4.0× taller.
- Top speed: cheetah is 2.5× faster.
- Lifespan: African elephant is 6.0× a longer life.

## What this does and does not tell you

These are measured averages with real ranges behind them, and every figure links to its own page. What they cannot do is settle an encounter. Outcomes between animals turn on circumstance — who initiates, whether either is hungry, defending young, injured or cornered, and what the terrain favours. Size and bite force are not decisive on their own, and most of these pairs never meet in the wild in any case, because their ranges do not overlap.

> Every figure here is an average with a substantial spread. Individual animals vary enormously — a large individual of the smaller species routinely exceeds a small individual of the larger one.

## Common questions

### Is a African elephant bigger than a cheetah?

African elephant is heavier — 2,200–10,400 kg against 34–72 kg.

### Who would win, a African elephant or a cheetah?

That is not something measurements can settle. The comparison above shows which animal leads on each measure, but an actual encounter depends on circumstance, motivation, health and terrain — and most pairs like this never meet in the wild.

## Related pages

- [How much does a African elephant weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/african-elephant/)
- [How much does a cheetah weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/cheetah/)
- [cheetah vs lion](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-lion/)
- [cheetah vs tiger](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-tiger/)
- [cheetah vs leopard](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-leopard/)
- [cheetah vs jaguar](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-jaguar/)
- [cheetah vs cougar](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-cougar/)
- [cheetah vs snow leopard](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-snow-leopard/)
- [cheetah vs domestic cat](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-domestic-cat/)
- [cheetah vs grizzly bear](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-grizzly-bear/)
- [cheetah vs polar bear](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-polar-bear/)
- [cheetah vs giant panda](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-giant-panda/)
- [cheetah vs gray wolf](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-gray-wolf/)
- [cheetah vs coyote](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-coyote/)

## Sources

- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — Smithsonian Institution (https://naturalhistory.si.edu/)
- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (https://www.wikidata.org/) [CC0 1.0]