Giant Oceanic Manta Ray vs Lion

Manta birostris compared with Panthera leo

Key Differences

• Giant Oceanic Manta Ray is Endangered while Lion is Vulnerable.
• Giant Oceanic Manta Ray is omnivore while Lion is carnivore.
• Giant Oceanic Manta Ray is 7.4x heavier than Lion.
• Giant Oceanic Manta Ray lives longer (50 years vs 15 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Giant Oceanic Manta Ray	Lion
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fish)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Lamniformes (Mackerel Sharks)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Rhincodontidae (Whale Sharks)	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Rhincodon (Whale Sharks)	Panthera (Big Cats)
Species	Manta birostris	Panthera leo

Evolutionary Relationship

Giant Oceanic Manta Ray and Lion share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Giant Oceanic Manta Ray

EN — Endangered

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Lion

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~23.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Giant Oceanic Manta Ray	Lion
Diet	Omnivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	50 years	15 years
Average Length	5.0 m	2.5 m
Average Weight	1.4 t	190.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Giant Oceanic Manta Ray

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including flooded grasslands and savannas, mangrove forests and coastal wetlands, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, among 5 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Indomalayan and Neotropic realms.

Range

Distributed across Australia, Ecuador, Maldives, Mexico, and Mozambique. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Lion

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 7 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Neotropic and Oceanian realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Kenya. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Giant Oceanic Manta Ray

The giant manta ray is the largest ray species, with a wingspan up to 7 meters. They are filter feeders.

Lion

The largest wild cat in Africa, lions reach up to 250 kg and are the only social felids, living in prides across sub-Saharan savannas and grasslands. Males are distinguished by their iconic manes. As apex predators, they regulate herbivore populations and maintain ecosystem balance. Listed as Vulnerable due to habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇪🇨 Ecuador