Species comparison
Leopard vs Tiger
A side-by-side look at Panthera pardus and Panthera tigris across body measurements, habitat, diet, behaviour and conservation status.
At a glance
- The tiger averages about 3.1 times the body mass of the leopard.
- The tiger has the higher recorded top speed, at 40 mph (65 km/h).
- Both species use tropical rainforest and montane forest.
- Their ranges both include Asia.
- Red List categories differ: Leopard is listed as Vulnerable, Tiger as Endangered.
Identification
How each species is named and classified.
Leopard
Panthera pardus
Tiger
Panthera tigris
Leopard
Panthera
Tiger
Panthera
Leopard
Panthera lineage
Tiger
Panthera lineage
Leopard
Big cats
Tiger
Big cats
Leopard
African leopard, Amur leopard, Arabian leopard
Tiger
Bengal tiger, Amur tiger, Siberian tiger
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)
Tiger
4 ft 7 in – 9 ft 2 in (140–280 cm) Longer
Leopard
23 in – 3 ft 7 in (58–110 cm)
Tiger
24 in – 3 ft 7 in (60–110 cm) Longer
Leopard
18 in – 2 ft 7 in (45–78 cm)
Tiger
2 ft 7 in – 3 ft 7 in (80–110 cm) Taller
Leopard
37–198 lb (17–90 kg)
Arabian leopards from about 17 kg; large African and Persian males approach 90 kg.
Tiger
165–573 lb (75–260 kg) Heavier
Sumatran females from about 75 kg; large males from mainland Asia exceed 200 kg.
Leopard
36 mph (58 km/h)
Measured over short distances; leopards depend on stalking to within a few strides.
Tiger
40 mph (65 km/h) Faster
Short bursts over open ground; tigers rely on cover rather than pursuit.
Life span
Typical adult longevity. Figures for managed care come from zoo and sanctuary records.
Leopard
12–15 years Longer
Tiger
10–15 years
Leopard
20–23 years Longer
Tiger
16–22 years
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.
Tiger
tropical rainforest, mangrove, temperate forest, grassland, montane forest
Any landscape offering dense cover, water and sufficient large prey, from the Sundarbans mangroves to Russian pine and oak forest where winter temperatures fall far below freezing.
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.
Tiger
Asia
Scattered populations in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia (Sumatra), Russia and China. The species now occupies a small fraction of its historical Asian range.
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.
Tiger
large ungulates, medium ungulates, small mammals
Sambar, chital, wild boar, gaur calves and, in the Russian Far East, red deer and roe deer. Tigers can consume very large meals and then cache and revisit a carcass for several days.
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.
Tiger
Solitary and territorial
Adults hold exclusive ranges against the same sex, marked with scrapes, scent and scratch trees. A male's territory typically overlaps those of several females.
Leopard
Nocturnal and crepuscular
Predominantly night active, especially near people, though forest populations with low disturbance also hunt in daylight.
Tiger
Nocturnal and crepuscular
Chiefly active at night and around dawn and dusk, though tigers in undisturbed forest and cold climates also move by day.
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.
Tiger
Solitary stalk and short rush
Tigers approach to within a few dozen feet under cover, then attack in a single explosive rush, using body mass to unbalance prey before a throat or nape bite. Most attempts fail.
Leopard
Exceptional More developed
Among the strongest climbers of all large cats; leopards regularly lift carcasses of their own body mass into the canopy.
Tiger
Limited
Cubs climb readily; heavy adults rarely do so except under duress, such as when escaping flood water or elephants.
Leopard
Capable
Competent in water and willing to cross rivers, but far less aquatic than tigers or jaguars.
Tiger
Exceptional More developed
Tigers swim across wide rivers and tidal creeks, cool off in pools during hot weather, and in the Sundarbans routinely move between islands.
Conservation
Red List category, population direction and the pressures documented for each species.
Leopard
VU — Vulnerable
Assessed 2023
Tiger
EN — Endangered
Assessed 2022
Leopard
Decreasing
Tiger
Increasing
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.
Tiger
Poaching for skins and body parts, Prey depletion by snaring, Habitat loss and fragmentation, Human-tiger conflict, Infrastructure development
The most recent global assessment raised the estimated population, partly through recovery in India, Nepal and Bhutan and partly through better survey coverage. Gains are uneven: several South East Asian populations have collapsed within a generation.
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.
Tiger
- Stripe patterns are individually unique and are also present on the skin, not only on the fur.
- Tiger hearing is tuned to low frequencies, and chuffing — a soft, breathy greeting — is used at close range between familiar animals.
- A single adult may need the equivalent of a large deer every week, which is why prey density, not forest area alone, sets local carrying capacity.
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.
- Wildlife Conservation Society Field programmes, camera-trap surveys and population monitoring.