A spot pattern refers to the upper most row of spots on the leopard's cheeks. These are the spots above the upper line of whiskers. The spot pattern is made up of the number of spots first on the right cheek and then the left cheek.

How can you tell a leopard from a cheetah?

The most common difference between these two animals is the patterns on their coat. At first glance, it may look like they both have spots, but in actual fact, a leopard has rosettes which are rose-like markings, and cheetahs have a solid round or oval spot shape.

How do you identify a cheetah?

Cheetahs have clear black spots while leopards have black patterns called rosettes. Another obvious difference is in the face. Cheetahs have a black streak from the inner corner of their eyes that run down their cheeks, while leopards have no such marking. A leopard has yellow fur while cheetahs are tan.