Lion vs Serval
The lion is heavier: 161.5 kg against 12 kg for the serval, about 13 times the weight.
Photo: GinaFranchi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: datadan · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
What is the difference between a lion and a serval?
Each point below is worked out from a pair of recorded values.
- The lion is heavier: 161.5 kg against 12 kg for the serval, about 13 times the weight.
- The lion is longer-lived: 27 years against 22.4 years for the serval, about 21% longer.
- They share the family Felidae but sit in different genera: Lion in Panthera, Serval in Leptailurus.
- The lion is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List; the serval is Least Concern.
Side by side
| Lion | Serval | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Panthera leo | Leptailurus serval |
| Family | Felidae | Felidae |
| Order | Carnivora | Carnivora |
| Weight | 126 kg – 188 kg | 12 kg |
| Length | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 27 years | 22.4 years |
| Main food | ungulate | african pygmy mouse, african spoonbill, duiker, eastern rock elephant shrew, eurasian spoonbill, gazella and 8 more |
| Habitat | grassland, shrubland | grassland, wetland |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable | Least Concern |
| Countries recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded |
A scale drawing needs a recorded length for both animals; only weights are on record for this pair.