🐆 Cougar vs Lion 🦁
The lion is about one and a half times as long as the cougar. The lion weighs about 3 times as much as the cougar.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐆 Cougar | 🦁 Lion |
|---|---|---|
| Size The lion is about one and a half times as long as the cougar. | 4.9 to 8.2 ft1.5 to 2.5 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 3 times as much as the cougar. | 64 to 265 lb29 to 120 kg1 | 414 lb188 kg2 |
| Lives The cougar lives a bit longer than the lion. | 18 to 20 years18 to 20 years1 | 16 years16 years3 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | mostly hoofed animals such as elk and deer, and smaller animals too | zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and other grazing animals |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | mountains, forests, grassland and deserts across the Americas, mostly in wild, quiet places | the savannas of Africa, and one forest in India |
Which one? Cougar or lion
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the cougar 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 Cougar vs Lion
- The cougar: A big, plain-colored cat of the Americas, also called a mountain lion.
- The lion: The only big cat that lives in a family group, called a pride.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are mammals.
- The lion is about one and a half times as long as the cougar: 2 against 1.
- The lion weighs about 3 times as much as the cougar. That is 1 for the cougar and 2 for the lion.
- The cougar lives a bit longer than the lion. Usual lifespans: 1 for the cougar and 3 for the lion.
- Both eat meat. The cougar eats mostly hoofed animals such as elk and deer, and smaller animals too; the lion eats zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and other grazing animals.
- The cougar lives in mountains, forests, grassland and deserts across the Americas, mostly in wild, quiet places. 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 cougar: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
- The lion: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 5
Wow facts
🐆 Cougar
- A cougar is also called a mountain lion.
- It once lived across more of the Americas than any other land mammal.
- It eats mostly hoofed animals such as elk and deer.
🦁 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 Cougar and Lion
Which is bigger, cougar or lion?
The lion is about one and a half times as long as the cougar: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, cougar or lion?
The lion weighs about 3 times as much as the cougar. That is 1 for the cougar and 2 for the lion.
Which lives longer, cougar or lion?
The cougar lives a bit longer than the lion. Usual lifespans: 1 for the cougar and 3 for the lion.
What do cougar and lion eat?
Both eat meat. The cougar eats mostly hoofed animals such as elk and deer, and smaller animals too; the lion eats zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and other grazing animals.
Where do cougar and lion live?
The cougar lives in mountains, forests, grassland and deserts across the Americas, mostly in wild, quiet places. 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, cougar 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/cougar-vs-lion
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Puma concolor (cougar, mountain lion), 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.