pélican blanc vs Lion d'Afrique

Pelecanus onocrotalus compared with Panthera leo

Key Differences

• pélican blanc is Not Evaluated while Lion d'Afrique is Vulnerable.
• Lion d'Afrique is 19.0x heavier than pélican blanc.
• pélican blanc lives longer (30 years vs 15 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	pélican blanc	Lion d'Afrique
Kingdom same	Animalia (animal)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (oiseau)	Mammalia (mammifères)
Order	Pelecaniformes (Pelecaniformes)	Carnivora (carnivores)
Family	Pelecanidae	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Pelecanus	Panthera (Big Cats)
Species	Pelecanus onocrotalus	Panthera leo

Evolutionary Relationship

pélican blanc and Lion d'Afrique share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

pélican blanc

NE — Not Evaluated

Trend: Stable →

Lion d'Afrique

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~23.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	pélican blanc	Lion d'Afrique
Diet	Carnivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	30 years	15 years
Average Length	1.6 m	2.5 m
Average Weight	10.0 kg	190.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

pélican blanc

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Found across Europe (9 countries).

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.

pélican blanc

One of the world's largest pelicans, great white pelicans have wingspans reaching 3.6 meters and inhabit shallow lakes and wetlands across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Social birds breeding in large colonies and foraging cooperatively — groups of pelicans corral fish into shallow water before scooping them in their expandable throat pouches. Their pouches can hold up to 13 liters of water. Listed as Least Concern globally with stable populations.

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.