Let's first clarify what constitutes a ''.

In terms of animal classification, a '' specifically refers to the species of leopard cat ().

However, in general terms, '' is a broad term referring to any mid-to-large-sized cat with spots, including leopard cats, American leopards, cheetahs, snow leopards, cloud leopards, etc..

Firstly, from a classification perspective, these various ''s' are related as shown in the following figure (omitted other irrelevant species to make the expression clearer… actually I'm lazy to list all of them).

Snow leopards, leopard cats, and American leopards all belong to the Leopard genus, and leopard cats and American leopards are more closely related.

Cloud leopards and Hainan cloud leopards are listed under the Cloud leopard genus, although they are called '' (cloud leopards), they are separate species.

Cheetahs, on the other hand, belong to the Cheetah genus, Felidae suborder, and are the most distantly related to the other four species.

1Cheetah

Cheetahs are slender in build, with long legs and a relatively small head-to-body ratio.

Their markings consist primarily of small, evenly distributed spots.

Cheetahs also have a distinctive feature: black 'tear lines' extend from the corners of their eyes to their mouths.

Some cheetahs have individual markings that tend to merge into streaks. People call these 'Wang Cheetahs' (). This is a form of recessive genetic shaping.

Wang Cheetahs and ordinary cheetahs

If the 'Wang Cheetah' is 'spot-enhanced version', there is also a 'spot-reduced version' in cheetahs, which is called '' ( - '' – '').

2Leopard Cat ()

Leopard cats are somewhat bulkier than cheetahs, and their heads are slightly larger.

The markings of leopard cats consist primarily of '' (mei hua ban - '' – '' – ''), which are spots arranged in circles with no spots inside.

3American Leopard ()

American leopards and leopard cats are very similar, and many people get them confused.

The difference between the two is that American leopards are even bulkier than leopard cats, and due to their solid bodies, their legs appear a little shorter. American leopards also have larger heads.

American leopard markings consist primarily of '' (Mei hua ban - '' – '' – ''), which are spots arranged in circles with spots inside. And American leopard markings are larger than leopard cats' markings.

Here's a spot comparison chart: on the left is American Leopard, in the middle is Cheetah, and on the right is Leopard Cat.

4Snow Leopard ()

It's easy to distinguish snow leopards. Their fur is gray-white or gray-yellow, or described as '' (yan hai lv - '' – '' – ''). And their fur is thick and dense, making them appear somewhat plump.

Snow leopard markings are relatively chaotic, mainly consisting of irregular ring-shaped spots, and also a small number of '' (mei hua ban - '' – '' – '') and '' (Mei hua ban - '' – '' – '').

Snow leopard's long fluffy tail is also a characteristic. If proportioned, the snow leopard has the longest tail among the Leopard genus animals. Snow leopard has a cute habit – holding its tail.

5Cloud Leopard ()

Cloud leopards are also easy to distinguish. Their fur is gray-yellow or brown-yellow; their markings are cloud-shaped large spots, hence the name '' (yun bao - '' – '' – '').

Cloud leopards have a somewhat narrow head and a sad face.

Although cloud leopards are the smallest members of the Leopard genus, if proportioned, they have the longest canine teeth among extant cats, so they are nicknamed '' (dang dai xiao jian zhi hu - '' – '' – '').

6Hainan Cloud Leopard ()

Hainan cloud leopards were once considered a subspecies of cloud leopards, but subsequent research found that they have reproductive isolation, so Hainan cloud leopards became an independent species, although the name has not changed.

From an appearance perspective, Hainan cloud leopards have body size and shape similar to cloud leopards, but Hainan cloud leopards' fur is darker, or darker, presenting as brown-yellow to brown-brown.

Hainan cloud leopards' markings are smaller and denser, with smaller spots inside the cloud-shaped markings, even approaching '' (Mei hua ban - '' – '' – ''), while cloud leopards' markings have larger cloud-shaped markings with fewer spots inside.

The top picture is Cloud Leopard, and the bottom picture is Hainan Cloud Leopard.

7Black Leopard ()

Actually, black leopards are not an independent species, but rather black-colored individuals from leopard cats or American leopards.

Black leopards are not entirely black, but they still show traces of markings.