🦡 Honey badger vs Lion 🦁
The lion is about 5 times as long as the honey badger. The lion weighs about 20 times as much as the honey badger.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦡 Honey badger | 🦁 Lion |
|---|---|---|
| Size The lion is about 5 times as long as the honey badger. | 24 to 28 in60 to 70 cm1 | 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 20 times as much as the honey badger. | 18 to 26 lb8 to 12 kg1 | 414 lb188 kg2 |
| Lives The lion usually lives about twice as long as the honey badger. | 7 to 8 years7 to 8 years1 | 16 years16 years3 |
| Eats The honey badger eats plants and animals; the lion eats meat. | eggs, small rodents, snakes, birds and frogs | zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and other grazing animals |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | forests, grassland, rocky hills and deserts across most of Africa south of the Sahara and on the Arabian Peninsula | the savannas of Africa, and one forest in India |
Which one? Honey badger or lion
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the honey badger 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 Honey badger vs Lion
- The honey badger: A short, strong animal from Africa and Asia that eats eggs, snakes and more.
- 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 5 times as long as the honey badger: 2 against 1.
- The lion weighs about 20 times as much as the honey badger. That is 1 for the honey badger and 2 for the lion.
- The lion usually lives about twice as long as the honey badger. Usual lifespans: 1 for the honey badger and 3 for the lion.
- The honey badger eats eggs, small rodents, snakes, birds and frogs. The lion eats zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and other grazing animals.
- The honey badger lives in forests, grassland, rocky hills and deserts across most of Africa south of the Sahara and on the Arabian Peninsula. The lion lives in the savannas of Africa, and one forest in India. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The honey badger: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
- The lion: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 5
Wow facts
🦡 Honey badger
- A honey badger lives in forests, grassland and deserts.
- A male can walk a long way in one day looking for food.
- It eats eggs, small rodents, snakes, birds and frogs.
🦁 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 Honey badger and Lion
Which is bigger, honey badger or lion?
The lion is about 5 times as long as the honey badger: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, honey badger or lion?
The lion weighs about 20 times as much as the honey badger. That is 1 for the honey badger and 2 for the lion.
Which lives longer, honey badger or lion?
The lion usually lives about twice as long as the honey badger. Usual lifespans: 1 for the honey badger and 3 for the lion.
What do honey badger and lion eat?
The honey badger eats eggs, small rodents, snakes, birds and frogs. The lion eats zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and other grazing animals.
Where do honey badger and lion live?
The honey badger lives in forests, grassland, rocky hills and deserts across most of Africa south of the Sahara and on the Arabian Peninsula. The lion lives in the savannas of Africa, and one forest in India. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do lions eat honey badgers?
The lion eats zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and other grazing animals. Honey badgers are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, honey badger or lion?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They can share the same kind of place, and real animals mostly keep out of each other's way. 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/honey-badger-vs-lion
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Mellivora capensis (honey badger), 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.