A male lion lies in the shade of an acacia tree, his mane spread around his head. He looks lazy. Then he stands up, and you notice that his back is level with an adult’s chest and he weighs as much as two or three grown men.
A male lion weighs 150 to 260 kg (330 to 570 lb) and a female 122 to 180 kg (270 to 400 lb), says San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Lions stand about 1 to 1.2 m (3.5 to 4 ft) tall at the shoulder and can measure up to 3 m (10 ft) from nose to tail tip. Lions are the second-largest cats; the biggest tigers are heavier.
Key takeaways
- Weight: males 150–260 kg (330–570 lb); females 122–180 kg (270–400 lb).
- Height: about 1–1.2 m (3.5–4 ft) at the shoulder.
- Length: up to about 3 m (10 ft) for males and 2.7 m (9 ft) for females, including the tail.
- Lion vs tiger: the largest tigers outweigh the largest lions, but the ranges overlap a lot.
- Lion vs you: a big male weighs about as much as three average American men.
How much does a lion weigh?
Adult male lions weigh 150 to 260 kg (330 to 570 lb), and adult females weigh 122 to 180 kg (270 to 400 lb), says San Diego Zoo. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo gives a similar range of 150 to 250 kg for males. Males are heavier mainly because of their larger bones and muscles, not their manes.
Averages sit lower than the top of the range. Animal Diversity Web says adult males typically weigh about 189 kg (417 lb) and females about 126 kg (278 lb). The heaviest male it records weighed 272 kg (600 lb). Our page on how strong a lion is shows what that bulk can do.
How tall is a lion?
Lions stand about 1 to 1.2 m (3.5 to 4 ft) tall at the shoulder, says the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Animal Diversity Web gives an average height of 1.2 m for males and 1.1 m for females. With the head raised and the mane fluffed up, a male looks even taller.
How long is a lion?
A male lion can grow to about 3 m (10 ft) long including the tail, and a female to about 2.7 m (9 ft), says the Smithsonian. San Diego Zoo gives a head-and-body length of 1.7 to 2.5 m (5.6 to 8.3 ft) for males and 1.4 to 1.7 m (4.6 to 5.7 ft) for females, plus a tail of 70 to 105 cm (27 to 41 in).
| Measure | Male | Female | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 150–260 kg (330–570 lb) | 122–180 kg (270–400 lb) | San Diego Zoo |
| Typical weight | About 189 kg (417 lb) | About 126 kg (278 lb) | Animal Diversity Web |
| Shoulder height | About 1.2 m (4 ft) | About 1.1 m (3.6 ft) | Animal Diversity Web; Smithsonian |
| Head and body | 1.7–2.5 m (5.6–8.3 ft) | 1.4–1.7 m (4.6–5.7 ft) | San Diego Zoo |
| Tail | 70–105 cm (27–41 in) | San Diego Zoo | |
| Total length | Up to about 3 m (10 ft) | Up to about 2.7 m (9 ft) | Smithsonian |
Is a lion bigger than a tiger?
Usually not. The largest tigers are heavier and longer than the largest lions, but there is lots of overlap. Tigers weigh 75 to 325 kg (165 to 716 lb) depending on sex and subspecies, says San Diego Zoo, while male lions weigh 150 to 260 kg. A big male lion can outweigh a small tiger.
Size depends a lot on which tiger. The Smithsonian says Amur tigers reach about 300 kg (660 lb) and 3 m (10 ft), while Sumatran tigers reach only about 140 kg (310 lb). San Diego Zoo says male Bengal tigers can reach 295 kg (650 lb). San Diego Zoo also lists Amur males at up to 423 kg (933 lb), which is far above other figures, so treat it as an exceptional record rather than a typical size.
Underneath, the two cats are very alike. Without their coats, lion and tiger bodies are so similar that only experts can tell them apart, says the Smithsonian. For a full match-up, see tiger vs lion.
| Male lion | Tiger (all kinds) | Average US man | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 150–260 kg | 75–325 kg | About 90 kg (199 lb) |
| Length or height | Up to about 3 m long | 1.5–2.9 m long (head and body) | About 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) tall |
| Source | San Diego Zoo; Smithsonian | San Diego Zoo | CDC |
How big is a lion compared with a human?
A big male lion weighs about three times as much as an average American man, who weighs about 90 kg (199 lb), says the CDC. Standing on four legs, a lion’s shoulder reaches about the chest of a 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) adult. Stretched out, a male lion is longer than most people are tall, by more than a metre.
Picture it: you vs the big cats on the scales
Top adult weights in kg. Each bar is drawn to scale.
Average US man: about 90
Lioness (top of range): 180
Male lion (top of range): 260
Male Bengal tiger (up to): 295
Tiger, top of species range: 325
Sources: CDC; San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
Why are male lions bigger than females?
Males compete with other males to take over and defend a pride, so a bigger body and a thick mane help them win fights and look impressive. Females do most of the hunting, which favours a lighter, more agile build. San Diego Zoo says a lioness can sprint at up to 53 km/h (33 mph).
A male’s mane starts as fuzz at about one year old, says San Diego Zoo. It makes a male look larger than he is, but it adds little weight. Read more about how size, teamwork and the mane help in lion adaptations.
Why does a lion’s size matter on the savanna?
Being big lets lions, working in a pride, take down large grazers such as zebra and wildebeest. That keeps herds moving and stops them overgrazing one area. Big size also lets lions steal food from smaller predators. There are only 22,000 to 25,000 lions left in Africa and just under 700 in India, says San Diego Zoo, and the IUCN lists lions as Vulnerable.
Myths about lion size
Myth: Lions are the biggest cats.
Fact: The largest tigers are bigger. Lions are the second-largest cats. Why people believe it: the mane makes male lions look enormous, and the lion is called “king of the jungle”.
Myth: The mane makes up much of a lion’s weight.
Fact: The mane is hair. A male’s extra weight comes from his bigger skeleton and muscles.
Myth: Lions live in the jungle.
Fact: Lions mostly live in grassland, savanna and open woodland, not rainforest.
Test yourself
1. About how much does an adult male lion weigh?
150 to 260 kg (330 to 570 lb), says San Diego Zoo.
2. Which is bigger, the largest lion or the largest tiger?
The largest tiger.
3. About how many average men would balance a big male lion on a see-saw?
About three.
Where to next?
➡️ Go wider: how lions hunt, share and survive⬆️ Go deeper: how strong a lion is🔀 Go sideways: how much a tiger weighs
Frequently asked questions
How big is a lion compared with a car?
A large male lion can be about 3 m (10 ft) long including its tail, says the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. That is shorter than most family cars, but a lion’s shoulder, at about 1.2 m, is around the height of a car’s roof. A big lion weighs much less than a car, though, at up to about 260 kg.
What is the heaviest lion ever recorded?
Animal Diversity Web gives 272 kg (600 lb) as the heaviest recorded male. Most adult males weigh far less, around 189 kg on average. Be careful with much larger figures online, which often come from overweight zoo animals or are unverified.
How big is a lion cub?
Lion cubs are born tiny, helpless and spotted, and they grow fast. They depend on their mother and the pride for many months before they can hunt. Males start growing a mane at about one year old, says San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
Are Asiatic lions smaller than African lions?
India’s lions live only in and around the Gir Forest, where San Diego Zoo says just under 700 remain. They are the same species as African lions. We could not find a reliable published comparison of their body sizes, so we have not given figures here.
Sources
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Lion.
- Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. Lion.
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan. Panthera leo: lion.
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Tiger.
- Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. Sumatran tiger.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NCHS. Body measurements.
Sources checked 12 October 2026.
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