Species comparison
Lion vs African Wildcat
A side-by-side look at Panthera leo and Felis lybica across body measurements, habitat, diet, behaviour and conservation status.
At a glance
- The lion averages about 35.3 times the body mass of the african wildcat.
- Both species use savanna and grassland.
- Their ranges both include Africa and Asia.
- Red List categories differ: Lion is listed as Vulnerable, African Wildcat as Least Concern.
Identification
How each species is named and classified.
Lion
Panthera leo
African Wildcat
Felis lybica
Lion
Panthera
African Wildcat
Felis
Lion
Panthera lineage
African Wildcat
Domestic cat lineage
Lion
Big cats
African Wildcat
Small cats
Lion
African lion, Asiatic lion
African Wildcat
Near Eastern wildcat, Asiatic wildcat
Body and movement
Published field measurements for adults. Ranges cover both sexes unless noted.
Lion
5 ft 3 in – 8 ft 2 in (160–250 cm) Longer
African Wildcat
18 in – 2 ft 6 in (45–75 cm)
Lion
2 ft 4 in – 3 ft 5 in (70–105 cm) Longer
African Wildcat
10 in – 15 in (25–38 cm)
Lion
3 ft 3 in – 4 ft 1 in (100–125 cm) Taller
African Wildcat
13 in – 15 in (32–38 cm)
Lion
243–496 lb (110–225 kg) Heavier
Males typically 150–225 kg, females 110–152 kg.
African Wildcat
6.6–14 lb (3–6.5 kg)
Males average about a kilogram heavier than females.
Lion
50 mph (80 km/h)
Sustained only for short charges of a few hundred feet.
African Wildcat
Not reliably measured
Not measured in the field.
Life span
Typical adult longevity. Figures for managed care come from zoo and sanctuary records.
Lion
12–16 years Longer
African Wildcat
8–12 years
Lion
20–25 years Longer
African Wildcat
15–17 years
Habitat and range
Where each species lives and the conditions it tolerates.
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.
African Wildcat
savanna, semi-arid scrub, dry forest, grassland, agricultural mosaic
Almost every habitat in Africa except rainforest interior and the driest sand seas, plus scrub and steppe across the Middle East and Central Asia.
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.
African Wildcat
Africa, Asia
Across Africa outside the Congo rainforest, and through the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, Central Asia and into western India and China.
Diet and behaviour
Feeding ecology, social organisation and hunting technique.
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.
African Wildcat
small mammals, birds, reptiles, insects
Rodents form the great majority of the diet, with birds, lizards and insects making up the remainder.
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.
African Wildcat
Solitary
Solitary and territorial, though tolerant of human settlement — the same trait that started the domestication process.
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.
African Wildcat
Nocturnal and crepuscular
Mostly active from dusk to dawn, resting by day in burrows, thickets and rock crevices.
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.
African Wildcat
Stalk and pounce on rodents
Hunts by walking slowly through cover, freezing at sounds and finishing with a short rush.
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.
African Wildcat
Strong More developed
Climbs well and uses trees for escape and rest.
Lion
Limited More developed
Lions swim when they must cross channels, as in the Okavango Delta, but avoid deep water where possible.
African Wildcat
Very limited
Avoids water, in common with most arid-country cats.
Conservation
Red List category, population direction and the pressures documented for each species.
Lion
VU — Vulnerable
Assessed 2023
African Wildcat
LC — Least Concern
Assessed 2022
Lion
Decreasing
African Wildcat
Decreasing
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.
African Wildcat
Hybridisation with domestic cats, Disease transmitted by domestic cats, Habitat conversion, Persecution near poultry, Road mortality
The species remains widespread, but genetic mixing with free-ranging domestic cats is eroding wild populations, particularly near settlements. Pure wild-type populations are increasingly restricted to remote areas.
Notable traits
Details that do not fit neatly into a measurement table.
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.
African Wildcat
- All domestic cats descend from this species, not from the European wildcat.
- Wild individuals sit with a distinctly upright posture that helps separate them from feral tabbies.
- Genetic screening is now a standard part of conservation work, since appearance alone cannot confirm a pure wild animal.
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.
- 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.
- Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation Dedicated research and field reporting on the lesser-known felids.
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Reviewed species accounts with morphometric ranges and reproductive data.
- National Geographic — Animals General natural-history reference for behaviour, range and ecology.