How Tall Are Lions? See Their Height on All Fours and On Hind Legs

Lions, or Panthera leo, make their home in Africa and Northwestern India. As predators, lions have evolved to their conditions and way of life, which means they are large, powerful cats. One of the tallest big cats, lions are majestic animals to see in person, but preferably from a safe distance. Discover the height of a lion, including standing on all fours and their hind legs.

How Tall Are Lions on All Fours?

Lions are members of the family Felidae, meaning they are related to common housecats and other large cats, such as tigers, panthers, etc. Male lions are typically bigger than females. When standing on all fours, the average male lion’s height is four feet from the shoulder to the ground. An average female lion is slightly smaller, with a height of three and a half feet from the shoulder to the ground.

How Tall Are Lions On Hind Legs?

Again, male lions are taller than their female counterparts when measured on their hind legs. The length of an average male lion is between 5.6 and 8.2 feet. The length of an average female lion is 4.7 and 5.7 feet.

Height of a Lion At Different Life Stages

Lion cubs weigh only a few pounds at birth and are very small, measured from head to hindquarters. However, they also grow rapidly, and estimates show that at 12 months, or one year old, they should be around half as tall as their mother’s shoulder.

How Tall Are Lions Compared to a Human?

The average human stands between 5.2 and 5.6 feet, with variations depending on various factors. That means that the average lion stands above the waistline of most people. It also means that the average lion standing on its hind legs would be much taller than a human. A lion’s height measured on their hind legs would dwarf many people, especially a male lion over eight feet long.

How Tall Are Lions Compared to Other Big Cats?

Lions are the second-largest big cats in the world after tigers. The maximum length of a lion does not reach that of a tiger. Male tigers can grow up to 13 feet long, which means they can be twice as long as a male lion fully grown. Lions and tigers have similar heights measured from the ground to the shoulder, with lions standing slightly taller.

The jaguar also falls behind the lion in length and height. A lion’s height standing on all fours is, on average, four feet, while a jaguar stands at two and a half feet. Jaguars are four to six feet long compared to almost five feet long for the smallest female lions.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © CherylRamalho/Shutterstock.com