Species comparison
Cheetah vs Lion
A side-by-side look at Acinonyx jubatus and Panthera leo across body measurements, habitat, diet, behaviour and conservation status.
At a glance
- The lion averages about 3.6 times the body mass of the cheetah.
- The cheetah has the higher recorded top speed, at 58 mph (93 km/h).
- Both species use savanna and grassland.
- Their ranges both include Africa and Asia.
- Both are currently listed as Vulnerable on the Red List.
Identification
How each species is named and classified.
Cheetah
Acinonyx jubatus
Lion
Panthera leo
Cheetah
Acinonyx
Lion
Panthera
Cheetah
Puma lineage
Lion
Panthera lineage
Cheetah
Big cats
Lion
Big cats
Cheetah
Asiatic cheetah, Hunting leopard
Lion
African lion, Asiatic lion
Body and movement
Published field measurements for adults. Ranges cover both sexes unless noted.
Cheetah
3 ft 8 in – 4 ft 11 in (112–150 cm)
Lion
5 ft 3 in – 8 ft 2 in (160–250 cm) Longer
Cheetah
24 in – 2 ft 9 in (60–84 cm)
Lion
2 ft 4 in – 3 ft 5 in (70–105 cm) Longer
Cheetah
2 ft 4 in – 2 ft 11 in (70–90 cm)
Lion
3 ft 3 in – 4 ft 1 in (100–125 cm) Taller
Cheetah
46–159 lb (21–72 kg)
Most adults fall between 34 and 54 kg; males average slightly heavier.
Lion
243–496 lb (110–225 kg) Heavier
Males typically 150–225 kg, females 110–152 kg.
Cheetah
58 mph (93 km/h) Faster
Highest speed recorded on wild hunting cheetahs with GPS collars; captive sprint trials have reached about 98 km/h.
Lion
50 mph (80 km/h)
Sustained only for short charges of a few hundred feet.
Life span
Typical adult longevity. Figures for managed care come from zoo and sanctuary records.
Cheetah
8–12 years
Lion
12–16 years Longer
Cheetah
12–17 years
Lion
20–25 years Longer
Habitat and range
Where each species lives and the conditions it tolerates.
Cheetah
savanna, grassland, semi-arid scrub, dry forest
Open and semi-open country with clear sightlines and firm footing. Cheetahs also persist in arid landscapes such as the Sahel and the Iranian desert steppe, where they range enormously to find prey.
Lion
savanna, grassland, dry forest, semi-arid scrub
Open and lightly wooded landscapes with water and abundant grazing herds. Lions avoid closed rainforest and true desert interiors, but persist in arid systems such as the Kalahari where prey concentrates seasonally.
Cheetah
Africa, Asia
Fragmented populations in eastern and southern Africa, small remnants in North and West Africa, and a critically small Asiatic population confined to central Iran.
Lion
Africa, Asia
Fragmented populations across sub-Saharan Africa, with strongholds in southern and eastern Africa. A single Asiatic population survives in and around the Gir landscape of Gujarat, India.
Diet and behaviour
Feeding ecology, social organisation and hunting technique.
Cheetah
medium ungulates, hares, birds
Thomson's gazelle, springbok, impala, duiker and hares; prey usually weighs less than the cheetah itself, since large animals are too risky to restrain.
Lion
large ungulates, medium ungulates, carrion
Zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, gemsbok and warthog dominate the diet where available. Lions readily appropriate kills made by hyaenas, cheetahs and wild dogs.
Cheetah
Females solitary; males form coalitions
Females raise cubs alone across very large ranges, while related males often hold territory in permanent groups of two or three. Cheetahs do not roar; they chirp, purr and stutter.
Lion
Social — lives in prides
Prides usually hold three to twelve related adult females plus dependent young; males live in coalitions and defend access to one or more prides. Roaring maintains spacing between groups and can carry several miles at night.
Cheetah
Diurnal
Hunting concentrates in the early morning and late afternoon, avoiding both midday heat and the night-time activity of larger competitors.
Lion
Nocturnal and crepuscular
Most hunting happens between dusk and dawn, with peaks in dark, moonless conditions. Daylight hours are spent resting, often for twenty hours in hot weather.
Cheetah
High-speed pursuit in the open
The cat approaches to within roughly 200 feet, then sprints, using the tail as a rudder to match the prey's turns before knocking it off balance with a dewclaw and applying a throat bite.
Lion
Cooperative stalk and ambush
Females often hunt together, with individuals taking consistent flanking or centre positions. Cooperation raises success rates against large prey such as buffalo, which single lions rarely tackle.
Cheetah
Limited
Cheetahs use sloping trunks and termite mounds as lookouts but cannot climb vertical trunks the way leopards do.
Lion
Limited
Adults climb heavily and infrequently, although the tree-resting lions of Lake Manyara and Queen Elizabeth National Park show the behaviour is learned locally.
Cheetah
Very limited
Avoids water and swims only under compulsion.
Lion
Limited More developed
Lions swim when they must cross channels, as in the Okavango Delta, but avoid deep water where possible.
Conservation
Red List category, population direction and the pressures documented for each species.
Cheetah
VU — Vulnerable
Assessed 2021
Lion
VU — Vulnerable
Assessed 2023
Cheetah
Decreasing
Lion
Decreasing
Cheetah
Loss of open habitat and prey, Conflict with livestock farming, Illegal live-cub trade, Very large area requirements, Low genetic diversity
The species occupies a small fraction of its historical range, and a large share of the remaining population lives outside protected areas, which makes conflict with livestock owners a central conservation issue.
Lion
Habitat conversion, Prey depletion, Retaliatory killing after livestock loss, Poorly regulated hunting, Trade in bones and body parts
The species has disappeared from the large majority of its historical range and now survives mostly inside or beside protected areas. West African populations are of particular concern, and the Asiatic population depends on a single landscape.
Notable traits
Details that do not fit neatly into a measurement table.
Cheetah
- Acceleration is the more remarkable statistic: cheetahs can add roughly 6 mph per stride during the first three strides.
- Semi-retractable claws work like sprinting spikes and stay blunt from constant ground contact.
- The Asiatic cheetah in Iran is one of the rarest large mammals on Earth, with only a few dozen animals confirmed.
Lion
- A lion roar is produced by an unusually elastic, square-shaped vocal fold that allows loud calls at low effort.
- Prides fission and fuse: members frequently split into smaller subgroups for days at a time rather than travelling as one unit.
- Asiatic lions are on average smaller than southern African lions and typically show a longitudinal fold of skin along the belly.
Sources used for this comparison
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Global assessment categories, population trends and documented threats.
- IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group Species accounts, distribution notes and Cat News reporting for every wild felid.
- Cheetah Conservation Fund Research on cheetah biology, speed measurement and human-wildlife conflict.
- Panthera Field research programmes and species profiles for big and small wild cats.
- Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute Body measurements, longevity records and life-history notes.
- World Wildlife Fund Range descriptions, threat summaries and conservation programme reporting.