Leopard vs Polar bear

Panthera pardus compared with Ursus maritimus

Key Differences

• Polar bear is 7.5x heavier than Leopard.
• Polar bear lives longer (25 years vs 15 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Leopard	Polar bear
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order same	Carnivora (Carnivorans)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Felidae (Cats)	Ursidae (Bears)
Genus	Panthera (Big Cats)	Ursus (Bears)
Species	Panthera pardus	Ursus maritimus

Evolutionary Relationship

Leopard and Polar bear share a common ancestor at the Order level: Carnivora. (Carnivorans)

Conservation Status

Leopard

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Polar bear

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~26.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Leopard	Polar bear
Diet	Carnivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	15 years	25 years
Average Length	1.9 m	2.4 m
Average Weight	60.0 kg	450.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Leopard

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 9 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across China, India, Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Polar bear

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 4 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Norway. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Leopard

Highly adaptable big cat with the widest geographic range of any felid, found across Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia in habitats from rainforest to desert. Solitary and largely nocturnal, leopards are powerful climbers that cache prey in trees. Melanistic individuals — black panthers — are common in dense forest populations. Listed as Vulnerable globally.

Polar bear

The largest land carnivore on Earth, polar bears can exceed 700 kg and are found across Arctic sea ice from Canada to Russia. Highly specialized marine mammals that rely on sea ice to hunt ringed and bearded seals. Excellent swimmers capable of covering vast distances in open water. Listed as Vulnerable, with populations under severe pressure from rapid Arctic sea ice loss due to climate change.