Cobweb Spiders vs Lion d'Afrique

Parasteatoda tepidariorum compared with Panthera leo

Key Differences

• Cobweb Spiders is Least Concern while Lion d'Afrique is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cobweb Spiders	Lion d'Afrique
Kingdom same	Animalia (animal)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum	Arthropoda (arthropodes)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Arachnida (Arachnids)	Mammalia (mammifères)
Order	Araneae (araignée)	Carnivora (carnivores)
Family	Theridiidae	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Parasteatoda	Panthera (Big Cats)
Species	Parasteatoda tepidariorum	Panthera leo

Evolutionary Relationship

Cobweb Spiders and Lion d'Afrique share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (animal)

Conservation Status

Cobweb Spiders

LC — Least Concern

Lion d'Afrique

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~23.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cobweb Spiders	Lion d'Afrique
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	2.5 m
Average Weight	—	190.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cobweb Spiders

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial habitats from forests to deserts.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (Taiwan), Europe (7 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and South America (Colombia).

Lion d'Afrique

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.

Cobweb Spiders

The common house spider (Parasteatoda tepidariorum) is one of the most cosmopolitan of all spider species, having followed human civilization to virtually every inhabited corner of the globe. A member of the family Theridiidae, this small to medium-sized spider—females reaching 5–8 millimeters, males somewhat smaller—constructs the characteristic messy, three-dimensional cobwebs in sheltered corners of buildings, under eaves, in cellars, and in other human-modified structures worldwide. Originally native to North and South America, the species has spread through commerce and human transport to Europe, Asia, Africa, and beyond, where it thrives in the stable temperature and prey-rich conditions provided by human habitation. The web design is deceptively effective: irregular sticky threads radiate in all directions from a silk retreat, ensnaring flies, mosquitoes, ants, and other arthropods that blunder into the structure. Females are long-lived—surviving several years—and produce multiple egg sacs containing hundreds of eggs during a lifetime, contributing to the species' population resilience. Parasteatoda tepidariorum has become an important laboratory model organism for arachnid developmental biology, with its genome sequenced to facilitate studies of spider gene expression, venom evolution, and silk production. It is broadly classified as Least Concern given its cosmopolitan distribution and remarkable adaptation to anthropogenic environments.

Lion d'Afrique

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:

🇨🇴 Colombia