Leopard vs Lion
Both belong to the genus Panthera, so they are close relatives.
Photo: Sumeet Moghe · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Sumit.pamnani at English Wikipedia · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
What is the difference between a leopard and a lion?
Each point below is worked out from a pair of recorded values.
- Both belong to the genus Panthera, so they are close relatives.
- Both are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
- They have been recorded in 49 of the same countries (the leopard in 79 in total, the lion in 63). Shared records include zoos, so this does not mean they meet in the wild.
Side by side
| Leopard | Lion | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Panthera pardus | Panthera leo |
| Family | Felidae | Felidae |
| Order | Carnivora | Carnivora |
| Weight | Not recorded | 126 kg – 188 kg |
| Length | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Main food | impala, Eudorcas thomsonii, common warthog, Papio, Sylvicapra grimmia, Günther's dik-dik and 76 more | ungulate |
| Habitat | shrubland, forest | Not recorded |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable | Vulnerable |
| Countries recorded | 79 | 63 |