Big cat fundamentals
Lion vs Tiger
The two largest cats in the world differ far less in size than in the way they organise their lives: one lives in permanent groups on open ground, the other holds forest territory alone.
At a glance
- The lion and the tiger fall into a similar body-mass band.
- The lion has the higher recorded top speed, at 50 mph (80 km/h).
- Both species use grassland.
- Their ranges both include Asia.
- Red List categories differ: Lion is listed as Vulnerable, Tiger as Endangered.
Size overlaps more than people expect
Published weight ranges for the two species overlap substantially. Large tigers from mainland Asia sit at the top of the felid scale, but so do large southern African lions, and a Sumatran tiger is lighter than most adult lionesses. Comparing a single "typical" figure for each species hides the fact that geography drives body size more than species identity does.
Proportions differ more reliably than mass. Lions have longer legs relative to body length and a shorter, deeper trunk, matching a life spent crossing open country. Tigers are longer in the body with heavier forelimbs, which suits grappling with large prey in dense cover.
Two entirely different social systems
The lion is the only cat that lives in permanent social groups. Prides are built around related females, and hunting, cub rearing and territorial defence are all collective activities. Tigers, by contrast, hold exclusive ranges and meet mainly to mate, with mothers raising cubs alone for around two years.
That difference shapes almost every other trait in the table. Cooperative hunting allows lions to take buffalo and other prey that would be dangerous for a single cat. Solitary hunting pushes tigers towards ambush at very close range, where a single failed attempt costs energy but not injury.
Habitat and water
Lions occupy savanna, grassland and dry woodland, and they generally avoid deep water. Tigers occupy some of the wettest habitats used by any cat, including the tidal mangrove forest of the Sundarbans, and swim readily across rivers and creeks. That single behavioural difference explains why the two species had almost no natural range overlap in modern times.
What to take away
- Body-mass ranges overlap; population and region predict size better than species alone.
- Lions are the only felid with permanent social groups, which changes how they hunt and defend territory.
- Tigers are strong swimmers and use habitats, including mangrove, that lions avoid.
Identification
How each species is named and classified.
Lion
Panthera leo
Tiger
Panthera tigris
Lion
Panthera
Tiger
Panthera
Lion
Panthera lineage
Tiger
Panthera lineage
Lion
Big cats
Tiger
Big cats
Lion
African lion, Asiatic lion
Tiger
Bengal tiger, Amur tiger, Siberian tiger
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)
Tiger
4 ft 7 in – 9 ft 2 in (140–280 cm) Longer
Lion
2 ft 4 in – 3 ft 5 in (70–105 cm) Longer
Tiger
24 in – 3 ft 7 in (60–110 cm)
Lion
3 ft 3 in – 4 ft 1 in (100–125 cm) Taller
Tiger
2 ft 7 in – 3 ft 7 in (80–110 cm)
Lion
243–496 lb (110–225 kg)
Males typically 150–225 kg, females 110–152 kg.
Tiger
165–573 lb (75–260 kg)
Sumatran females from about 75 kg; large males from mainland Asia exceed 200 kg.
Lion
50 mph (80 km/h) Faster
Sustained only for short charges of a few hundred feet.
Tiger
40 mph (65 km/h)
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.
Lion
12–16 years Longer
Tiger
10–15 years
Lion
20–25 years Longer
Tiger
16–22 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tiger
Limited
Cubs climb readily; heavy adults rarely do so except under duress, such as when escaping flood water or elephants.
Lion
Limited
Lions swim when they must cross channels, as in the Okavango Delta, but avoid deep water where possible.
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.
Lion
VU — Vulnerable
Assessed 2023
Tiger
EN — Endangered
Assessed 2022
Lion
Decreasing
Tiger
Increasing
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.
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.
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.
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.
- 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.
- Wildlife Conservation Society Field programmes, camera-trap surveys and population monitoring.