Species comparison
Leopard vs Lion
A side-by-side look at Panthera pardus and Panthera leo across body measurements, habitat, diet, behaviour and conservation status.
At a glance
- The lion averages about 3.1 times the body mass of the leopard.
- The lion has the higher recorded top speed, at 50 mph (80 km/h).
- Both species use savanna and semi-arid scrub.
- 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.
Leopard
Panthera pardus
Lion
Panthera leo
Leopard
Panthera
Lion
Panthera
Leopard
Panthera lineage
Lion
Panthera lineage
Leopard
Big cats
Lion
Big cats
Leopard
African leopard, Amur leopard, Arabian leopard
Lion
African lion, Asiatic lion
Body and movement
Published field measurements for adults. Ranges cover both sexes unless noted.
Leopard
2 ft 11 in – 6 ft 3 in (90–190 cm)
Lion
5 ft 3 in – 8 ft 2 in (160–250 cm) Longer
Leopard
23 in – 3 ft 7 in (58–110 cm)
Lion
2 ft 4 in – 3 ft 5 in (70–105 cm) Longer
Leopard
18 in – 2 ft 7 in (45–78 cm)
Lion
3 ft 3 in – 4 ft 1 in (100–125 cm) Taller
Leopard
37–198 lb (17–90 kg)
Arabian leopards from about 17 kg; large African and Persian males approach 90 kg.
Lion
243–496 lb (110–225 kg) Heavier
Males typically 150–225 kg, females 110–152 kg.
Leopard
36 mph (58 km/h)
Measured over short distances; leopards depend on stalking to within a few strides.
Lion
50 mph (80 km/h) Faster
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.
Leopard
12–15 years
Lion
12–16 years Longer
Leopard
20–23 years
Lion
20–25 years Longer
Habitat and range
Where each species lives and the conditions it tolerates.
Leopard
tropical rainforest, savanna, montane forest, semi-arid scrub, temperate forest, agricultural mosaic
From equatorial rainforest to the fringes of the Arabian and Kalahari deserts, and from sea level to above 15,000 feet in the Himalaya. Leopards persist in farmland and near cities where cover and small prey remain.
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.
Leopard
Africa, Asia
Widespread but fragmented across sub-Saharan Africa, with relict populations in North Africa, Arabia, the Caucasus, Central and South Asia, South East Asia, China and the Russian Far East.
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.
Leopard
medium ungulates, small mammals, primates, birds, reptiles
Extremely catholic: impala, bushbuck, duiker, hyrax, hares, monkeys, birds, rodents and, in some landscapes, domestic dogs and goats.
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.
Leopard
Solitary and territorial
Adults maintain scent-marked ranges, with males overlapping several females. Leopards are notably tolerant of human presence when not persecuted, and often move unseen through settled country.
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.
Leopard
Nocturnal and crepuscular
Predominantly night active, especially near people, though forest populations with low disturbance also hunt in daylight.
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.
Leopard
Close stalk and pounce
Leopards use cover to approach within a few strides, then attack with a rush and a throat bite. Prey is often dragged to cover or hoisted into a tree.
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.
Leopard
Exceptional More developed
Among the strongest climbers of all large cats; leopards regularly lift carcasses of their own body mass into the canopy.
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.
Leopard
Capable More developed
Competent in water and willing to cross rivers, but far less aquatic than tigers or jaguars.
Lion
Limited
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.
Leopard
VU — Vulnerable
Assessed 2023
Lion
VU — Vulnerable
Assessed 2023
Leopard
Decreasing
Lion
Decreasing
Leopard
Habitat fragmentation, Prey depletion, Retaliatory and preventative killing, Illegal skin and bone trade, Poorly regulated hunting
Widespread persistence disguises steep regional losses. Several subspecies — notably the Amur, Arabian, Javan and Sri Lankan leopards — survive as very small, isolated populations.
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.
Leopard
- Leopard rosettes lack the interior spots typical of jaguars, the most reliable field distinction between the two.
- The Amur leopard, restricted to the Russian-Chinese border forests, is among the rarest big cats on Earth.
- Melanism occurs most often in humid forest populations of South and South East Asia.
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.
- Panthera Field research programmes and species profiles for big and small wild cats.
- World Wildlife Fund Range descriptions, threat summaries and conservation programme reporting.
- Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute Body measurements, longevity records and life-history notes.