🐆 Leopard vs Snow leopard 🐆
The leopard and the snow leopard are about the same size. They are about the same.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐆 Leopard | 🐆 Snow leopard |
|---|---|---|
| Size They are about the same size. | 5.2 to 7.5 ft1.6 to 2.3 m1 | 5.9 to 7.5 ft1.8 to 2.3 m2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the snow leopard yet. | 37 mph60 km/h1 | no checked number yet |
| Weight They are about the same. | 37 to 143 lb17 to 65 kg1 | 77 to 99 lb35 to 45 kg2 |
| Lives The snow leopard usually lives about twice as long as the leopard. | 10 to 12 years10 to 12 years1 | 21 years21 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | mid-sized hoofed animals, plus birds, reptiles and rodents | blue sheep and other animals of the mountains |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | woodland, grassland and forest across Africa and parts of Asia | high, cold mountains in Asia, from the forest edge up to bare rock |
Which one? Leopard or snow leopard
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the snow leopard 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.
10 things to know about Leopard vs Snow leopard
- The leopard: A spotted big cat that lives across Africa and Asia.
- The snow leopard: A pale, spotted cat with a long tail that lives in high mountains.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are mammals.
- The leopard and the snow leopard are about the same size: 2 against 1.
- They are about the same. That is 1 for the leopard and 2 for the snow leopard.
- The snow leopard usually lives about twice as long as the leopard. Usual lifespans: 1 for the leopard and 2 for the snow leopard.
- Both eat meat. The leopard eats mid-sized hoofed animals, plus birds, reptiles and rodents; the snow leopard eats blue sheep and other animals of the mountains.
- The leopard lives in woodland, grassland and forest across Africa and parts of Asia. The snow leopard lives in high, cold mountains in Asia, from the forest edge up to bare rock. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The leopard: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The snow leopard: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 4
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.
🐆 Snow leopard
- A snow leopard has a tail almost as long as its body.
- It lives high in the cold mountains of Asia.
- It is so hard to see that scientists know little about it.
Questions kids ask about Leopard and Snow leopard
Which is bigger, leopard or snow leopard?
The leopard and the snow leopard are about the same size: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, leopard or snow leopard?
They are about the same. That is 1 for the leopard and 2 for the snow leopard.
Which lives longer, leopard or snow leopard?
The snow leopard usually lives about twice as long as the leopard. Usual lifespans: 1 for the leopard and 2 for the snow leopard.
What do leopard and snow leopard eat?
Both eat meat. The leopard eats mid-sized hoofed animals, plus birds, reptiles and rodents; the snow leopard eats blue sheep and other animals of the mountains.
Where do leopard and snow leopard live?
The leopard lives in woodland, grassland and forest across Africa and parts of Asia. The snow leopard lives in high, cold mountains in Asia, from the forest edge up to bare rock. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, leopard or snow leopard?
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/leopard-vs-snow-leopard
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Panthera pardus (leopard), checked 10 November 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Uncia uncia (snow leopard), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.