🦁 Lion vs Nile crocodile 🐊
The lion is a bit bigger than the nile crocodile. The lion weighs about twice as much as the nile crocodile.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦁 Lion | 🐊 Nile crocodile |
|---|---|---|
| Size The lion is a bit bigger than the nile crocodile. | 8.5 to 11 ft2.6 to 3.5 m1 | 6.6 to 11 ft2 to 3.3 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 nile crocodile. | 414 lb188 kg1 | 154 to 220 lb70 to 100 kg2 |
| Lives We don't have a checked number for the nile crocodile yet. | 16 years16 years5 | no checked number yet |
| Eats Both eat meat. | zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and other grazing animals | insects when it is young, and big animals such as impala and buffalo when it is grown |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | the savannas of Africa, and one forest in India | freshwater lakes, rivers and coastal swamps south of the Sahara |
Which one? Lion or nile crocodile
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the lion or the nile crocodile 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.
9 things to know about Lion vs Nile crocodile
- The lion: The only big cat that lives in a family group, called a pride.
- The nile crocodile: A big, strong river reptile that lives in Africa.
- They are different kinds of animal. The lion is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk; the nile crocodile is a reptile, so it has scaly skin.
- The lion is a bit bigger than the nile crocodile: 1 against 2.
- The lion weighs about twice as much as the nile crocodile. That is 1 for the lion and 2 for the nile crocodile.
- Both eat meat. The lion eats zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and other grazing animals; the nile crocodile eats insects when it is young, and big animals such as impala and buffalo when it is grown.
- The lion lives in the savannas of Africa, and one forest in India. The nile crocodile lives in freshwater lakes, rivers and coastal swamps south of the Sahara. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The lion: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The nile crocodile: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🦁 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.
🐊 Nile crocodile
- A mother Nile crocodile digs her nest in sandy soil near water.
- The youngest crocodiles eat insects.
- It is thought to live a very long time.
Questions kids ask about Lion and Nile crocodile
Which is bigger, lion or nile crocodile?
The lion is a bit bigger than the nile crocodile: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, lion or nile crocodile?
The lion weighs about twice as much as the nile crocodile. That is 1 for the lion and 2 for the nile crocodile.
What do lion and nile crocodile eat?
Both eat meat. The lion eats zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and other grazing animals; the nile crocodile eats insects when it is young, and big animals such as impala and buffalo when it is grown.
Where do lion and nile crocodile live?
The lion lives in the savannas of Africa, and one forest in India. The nile crocodile lives in freshwater lakes, rivers and coastal swamps south of the Sahara. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, lion or nile crocodile?
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/lion-vs-nile-crocodile
Where these numbers come from
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Register 2015 (Listing Two Lion Subspecies), checked 30 October 2026.
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Nile crocodile fact sheet, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.