🦈 Bull shark vs Lion 🦁
The lion is a bit bigger than the bull shark. The lion weighs about twice as much as the bull shark.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦈 Bull shark | 🦁 Lion |
|---|---|---|
| Size The lion is a bit bigger than the bull shark. | 7.5 to 9.3 ft2.3 to 2.8 m1 | 8.5 to 11 ft2.6 to 3.5 m2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight The lion weighs about twice as much as the bull shark. | 209 to 245 lb95 to 111 kg1 | 414 lb188 kg2 |
| Lives The bull shark usually lives about twice as long as the lion. | 32 years32 years1 | 16 years16 years3 |
| Eats The bull shark eats fish; the lion eats meat. | mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays, and also crabs | zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and other grazing animals |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | warm, shallow coastal seas, and also rivers and lakes | the savannas of Africa, and one forest in India |
Which one? Bull shark or lion
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the bull shark or the lion yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
10 things to know about Bull shark vs Lion
- The bull shark: A sturdy shark that can swim in salt water and in fresh water.
- The lion: The only big cat that lives in a family group, called a pride.
- They are different kinds of animal. The bull shark is a fish, so it breathes with gills; the lion is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk.
- The lion is a bit bigger than the bull shark: 2 against 1.
- The lion weighs about twice as much as the bull shark. That is 1 for the bull shark and 2 for the lion.
- The bull shark usually lives about twice as long as the lion. Usual lifespans: 1 for the bull shark and 3 for the lion.
- The bull shark eats mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays, and also crabs. The lion eats zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and other grazing animals.
- The bull shark lives in warm, shallow coastal seas, and also rivers and lakes. The lion lives in the savannas of Africa, and one forest in India. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The bull shark: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 4
- The lion: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 5
Wow facts
🦈 Bull shark
- A bull shark can swim in salt water and in fresh water.
- It is the only shark that can stay in fresh water for a long time.
- It eats mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays.
🦁 Lion
- Lion cubs are born with spots, which fade as they grow.
- A lion's roar can be heard far away across the grassland.
- Lionesses in a pride often look after each other's cubs.
Questions kids ask about Bull shark and Lion
Which is heavier, bull shark or lion?
The lion weighs about twice as much as the bull shark. That is 1 for the bull shark and 2 for the lion.
Which lives longer, bull shark or lion?
The bull shark usually lives about twice as long as the lion. Usual lifespans: 1 for the bull shark and 3 for the lion.
What do bull shark and lion eat?
The bull shark eats mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays, and also crabs. The lion eats zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and other grazing animals.
Where do bull shark and lion live?
The bull shark lives in warm, shallow coastal seas, and also rivers and lakes. The lion lives in the savannas of Africa, and one forest in India. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, bull shark or lion?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/bull-shark-vs-lion
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Carcharhinus leucas (bull shark), checked 10 November 2026.
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Register 2015 (Listing Two Lion Subspecies), checked 30 October 2026.
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, Lion, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.