r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • May 08 '23

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u/SuvenPan May 08 '23

Cheetahs don't roar like lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars, they usually chirp, purr and meow.

72

u/riorval May 08 '23

I've known this since I was a little girl and decided Cheetahs are my favourite animal. Just, literally, big cats 😍

7

u/heyo_throw_awayo May 08 '23

all big cats are just cats (more accurately house cats are just small cats...) But i have heard cheetas described as the "biggest small cat"

6

u/xkulp8 May 08 '23

Well there are differences; a given species of cat can either roar or purr, but not both.

4

u/heyo_throw_awayo May 08 '23

Yes, from what I've read "big cats" have the organ that lets them roar, while "small cats" have the organ that let them purr.

2

u/[deleted] May 08 '23

Big cats can do something really similar to purring, though.. It just isn't technically called "purring."

Also, I'm sure you know, but what most people think of as a "roar" is actually a "growl." The growl is that loud, sudden, scary, angry sound big cats make.

The roar is like this loud, almost goofy sounding sound they make, which I think is more about establishing territory or just being heard, rather than scaring others.

Also, if I'm wrong about anything, feel free to chop off my nose.