How to read these tables
Wild cat measurements are published as ranges, because adults of the same species differ by sex, region and season. To place species in order we use the midpoint of each range, and we show the full range next to it so that overlap is visible. Two species whose ranges overlap should be treated as comparable in that respect, even when one appears a few places above the other.
These tables are a quick way to find the extremes. They are not a verdict on which animal is better, and they are no substitute for the species profile, which explains where a figure came from and how reliable it is. For a reasoned look at two animals in particular, use the comparison tool.
Body weight
Body mass spans a range of more than two hundred to one across the family, from the rusty-spotted cat at barely a kilogram to the largest tigers and lions. Because mass grows with the cube of linear size, the gap in weight is far larger than the gap in length.
| # | Species | Scientific name | Body weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lion | Panthera leo | 243–496 lb (110–225 kg) |
| 2 | Tiger | Panthera tigris | 165–573 lb (75–260 kg) |
| 3 | Jaguar | Panthera onca | 99–265 lb (45–120 kg) |
| 4 | Puma | Puma concolor | 64–220 lb (29–100 kg) |
| 5 | Leopard | Panthera pardus | 37–198 lb (17–90 kg) |
| 6 | Cheetah | Acinonyx jubatus | 46–159 lb (21–72 kg) |
| 7 | Snow Leopard | Panthera uncia | 49–121 lb (22–55 kg) |
| 8 | Eurasian Lynx | Lynx lynx | 29–66 lb (13–30 kg) |
| 9 | Sunda Clouded Leopard | Neofelis diardi | 26–57 lb (12–26 kg) |
| 10 | Clouded Leopard | Neofelis nebulosa | 24–55 lb (11–25 kg) |
40 of 40 species have a published figure for this measure.
Head-body length
Head-body length excludes the tail. It is the fairest single measure of overall size, since it is not affected by tail proportion, which varies enormously between species.
| # | Species | Scientific name | Head-body length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tiger | Panthera tigris | 4 ft 7 in – 9 ft 2 in (140–280 cm) |
| 2 | Lion | Panthera leo | 5 ft 3 in – 8 ft 2 in (160–250 cm) |
| 3 | Puma | Puma concolor | 3 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in (100–200 cm) |
| 4 | Jaguar | Panthera onca | 3 ft 7 in – 6 ft 1 in (110–185 cm) |
| 5 | Leopard | Panthera pardus | 2 ft 11 in – 6 ft 3 in (90–190 cm) |
| 6 | Cheetah | Acinonyx jubatus | 3 ft 8 in – 4 ft 11 in (112–150 cm) |
| 7 | Snow Leopard | Panthera uncia | 2 ft 10 in – 4 ft 1 in (86–125 cm) |
| 8 | Eurasian Lynx | Lynx lynx | 2 ft 6 in – 4 ft 3 in (76–130 cm) |
| 9 | Canada Lynx | Lynx canadensis | 2 ft 6 in – 3 ft 6 in (76–107 cm) |
| 10 | Clouded Leopard | Neofelis nebulosa | 2 ft 3 in – 3 ft 7 in (68–108 cm) |
40 of 40 species have a published figure for this measure.
Shoulder height
Height at the shoulder shows how tall a cat stands rather than how heavy it is. Long-legged specialists such as the serval and caracal rise much higher in this table than they do in the weight table.
| # | Species | Scientific name | Shoulder height |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lion | Panthera leo | 3 ft 3 in – 4 ft 1 in (100–125 cm) |
| 2 | Tiger | Panthera tigris | 2 ft 7 in – 3 ft 7 in (80–110 cm) |
| 3 | Cheetah | Acinonyx jubatus | 2 ft 4 in – 2 ft 11 in (70–90 cm) |
| 4 | Puma | Puma concolor | 24 in – 2 ft 11 in (60–90 cm) |
| 5 | Jaguar | Panthera onca | 2 ft 1 in – 2 ft 6 in (63–76 cm) |
| 6 | Eurasian Lynx | Lynx lynx | 24 in – 2 ft 6 in (60–75 cm) |
| 7 | Leopard | Panthera pardus | 18 in – 2 ft 7 in (45–78 cm) |
| 8 | Serval | Leptailurus serval | 21 in – 2 ft 2 in (54–66 cm) |
| 9 | Snow Leopard | Panthera uncia | 22 in – 2 ft 2 in (55–65 cm) |
| 10 | Clouded Leopard | Neofelis nebulosa | 20 in – 22 in (50–55 cm) |
40 of 40 species have a published figure for this measure.
Top recorded speed
Only species with a credible published measurement appear here. Most wild cats have never had their top speed recorded, so absence from this table means “not measured”, not “slow”.
| # | Species | Scientific name | Top recorded speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cheetah | Acinonyx jubatus | 58 mph (93 km/h) |
| 2 | Caracal | Caracal caracal | 50 mph (80 km/h) |
| 3 | Jaguar | Panthera onca | 50 mph (80 km/h) |
| 4 | Lion | Panthera leo | 50 mph (80 km/h) |
| 5 | Puma | Puma concolor | 50 mph (80 km/h) |
| 6 | Tiger | Panthera tigris | 40 mph (65 km/h) |
| 7 | Leopard | Panthera pardus | 36 mph (58 km/h) |
| 8 | Snow Leopard | Panthera uncia | 34 mph (55 km/h) |
| 9 | Bobcat | Lynx rufus | 30 mph (48 km/h) |
9 of 40 species have a published figure for this measure.
Wild life span
Wild life span reflects typical adult survival and excludes the high mortality of the first year. It is usually several years shorter than life span under human care.
| # | Species | Scientific name | Wild life span |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lion | Panthera leo | 12–16 years |
| 2 | Eurasian Lynx | Lynx lynx | 10–17 years |
| 3 | Jaguar | Panthera onca | 12–15 years |
| 4 | Leopard | Panthera pardus | 12–15 years |
| 5 | Tiger | Panthera tigris | 10–15 years |
| 6 | Canada Lynx | Lynx canadensis | 10–14 years |
| 7 | Geoffroy's Cat | Leopardus geoffroyi | 10–14 years |
| 8 | Northern Tiger Cat | Leopardus tigrinus | 10–13 years |
| 9 | Southern Tiger Cat | Leopardus guttulus | 10–13 years |
| 10 | African Golden Cat | Caracal aurata | 10–12 years |
40 of 40 species have a published figure for this measure.
What the library covers
The 40 species are spread unevenly across the world, and the spread shapes what any table of extremes can say. The counts below show how many profiles fall into each Red List category, continent and genus; species that live on more than one continent are counted once for each.
By Red List category
- Least Concern: 16
- Near Threatened: 6
- Vulnerable: 14
- Endangered: 4
By continent
- Africa: 10
- Asia: 23
- Europe: 3
- North America: 8
- South America: 11
Browse the same groupings with filters in the species catalogue, or read how the categories are defined in the glossary.
A note on data quality
Measurements for the best-studied species, such as the lion, tiger and cheetah, rest on hundreds of animals. For the least observed cats, a few specimens may be all that exist. Each profile states which case applies; where you see a narrow range for a rare species, it usually reflects a small sample rather than a narrow biological reality.