🐆 Leopard vs Lion 🦁
The lion is about one and a half times as long as the leopard. The lion weighs about 5 times as much as the leopard.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐆 Leopard | 🦁 Lion |
|---|---|---|
| Size The lion is about one and a half times as long as the leopard. | 5.2 to 7.5 ft1.6 to 2.3 m1 | 8.5 to 11 ft2.6 to 3.5 m2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the lion yet. | 37 mph60 km/h1 | no checked number yet |
| Weight The lion weighs about 5 times as much as the leopard. | 37 to 143 lb17 to 65 kg1 | 414 lb188 kg2 |
| Lives The lion usually lives about one and a half times as long as the leopard. | 10 to 12 years10 to 12 years1 | 16 years16 years3 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | mid-sized hoofed animals, plus birds, reptiles and rodents | zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and other grazing animals |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | woodland, grassland and forest across Africa and parts of Asia | the savannas of Africa, and one forest in India |
Which one? Leopard or lion
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for 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 Leopard vs Lion
- The leopard: A spotted big cat that lives across Africa and Asia.
- 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 leopard: 2 against 1.
- The lion weighs about 5 times as much as the leopard. That is 1 for the leopard and 2 for the lion.
- The lion usually lives about one and a half times as long as the leopard. Usual lifespans: 1 for the leopard and 3 for the lion.
- Both eat meat. The leopard eats mid-sized hoofed animals, plus birds, reptiles and rodents; the lion eats zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and other grazing animals.
- The leopard lives in woodland, grassland and forest across Africa and parts of Asia. The lion lives in the savannas of Africa, and one forest in India. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The leopard: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 4
- The lion: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 5
Wow facts
🐆 Leopard
- A leopard can run fast in short bursts.
- Leopards live in woodland, grassland and forest.
- It eats birds, reptiles and rodents too.
🦁 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 Leopard and Lion
Which is bigger, leopard or lion?
The lion is about one and a half times as long as the leopard: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, leopard or lion?
The lion weighs about 5 times as much as the leopard. That is 1 for the leopard and 2 for the lion.
Which lives longer, leopard or lion?
The lion usually lives about one and a half times as long as the leopard. Usual lifespans: 1 for the leopard and 3 for the lion.
What do leopard and lion eat?
Both eat meat. The leopard eats mid-sized hoofed animals, plus birds, reptiles and rodents; the lion eats zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and other grazing animals.
Where do leopard and lion live?
The leopard lives in woodland, grassland and forest across Africa and parts of Asia. The lion lives in the savannas of Africa, and one forest in India. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do leopards eat lions?
The leopard eats mid-sized hoofed animals, plus birds, reptiles and rodents. Lions are not in that list, which comes from its page. And the lion is about one and a half times as long as the leopard.
Do lions eat leopards?
The lion eats zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and other grazing animals. Leopards are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, leopard 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/leopard-vs-lion
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Panthera pardus (leopard), 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.