🦁 Lion vs Tiger shark 🦈
The tiger shark is a bit bigger than the lion. The tiger shark weighs about 3 times as much as the lion.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦁 Lion | 🦈 Tiger shark |
|---|---|---|
| Size The tiger shark is a bit bigger than the lion. | 8.5 to 11 ft2.6 to 3.5 m1 | 11 to 14 ft3.3 to 4.3 m2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight The tiger shark weighs about 3 times as much as the lion. | 414 lb188 kg1 | 849 to 1,400 lb385 to 635 kg2 |
| Lives The tiger shark usually lives about one and a half times as long as the lion. | 16 years16 years3 | 27 years27 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and other grazing animals | sea turtles, birds, snakes, crabs, shellfish and dugongs |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | the savannas of Africa, and one forest in India | warm salt water, from shallow reefs to deep water |
Which one? Lion or tiger shark
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the lion or the tiger shark 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 Lion vs Tiger shark
- The lion: The only big cat that lives in a family group, called a pride.
- The tiger shark: A big striped shark that eats many kinds of sea animals.
- They are different kinds of animal. The lion is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk; the tiger shark is a fish, so it breathes with gills.
- The tiger shark is a bit bigger than the lion: 2 against 1.
- The tiger shark weighs about 3 times as much as the lion. That is 1 for the lion and 2 for the tiger shark.
- The tiger shark usually lives about one and a half times as long as the lion. Usual lifespans: 3 for the lion and 2 for the tiger shark.
- Both eat meat. The lion eats zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and other grazing animals; the tiger shark eats sea turtles, birds, snakes, crabs, shellfish and dugongs.
- The lion lives in the savannas of Africa, and one forest in India. The tiger shark lives in warm salt water, from shallow reefs to deep water. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The lion: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 4
- The tiger shark: doing fine, for now (Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List). 5
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.
🦈 Tiger shark
- A tiger shark eats many kinds of sea animals.
- It lives from shallow reefs to deep water.
- It moves slowly and quietly.
Questions kids ask about Lion and Tiger shark
Which is heavier, lion or tiger shark?
The tiger shark weighs about 3 times as much as the lion. That is 1 for the lion and 2 for the tiger shark.
Which lives longer, lion or tiger shark?
The tiger shark usually lives about one and a half times as long as the lion. Usual lifespans: 3 for the lion and 2 for the tiger shark.
What do lion and tiger shark eat?
Both eat meat. The lion eats zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and other grazing animals; the tiger shark eats sea turtles, birds, snakes, crabs, shellfish and dugongs.
Where do lion and tiger shark live?
The lion lives in the savannas of Africa, and one forest in India. The tiger shark lives in warm salt water, from shallow reefs to deep water. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, lion or tiger shark?
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-tiger-shark
Where these numbers come from
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Register 2015 (Listing Two Lion Subspecies), checked 30 October 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Galeocerdo cuvier (tiger shark), checked 10 November 2026.
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, Lion, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.