Great White Pelican vs Lion

Pelecanus onocrotalus compared with Panthera leo

Key Differences

• Great White Pelican is Not Evaluated while Lion is Vulnerable.
• Lion is 19.0x heavier than Great White Pelican.
• Great White Pelican lives longer (30 years vs 15 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Great White Pelican	Lion
Kingdom same	Animalia (สัตว์)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum same	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)
Class	Aves (นก)	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)
Order	Pelecaniformes (อันดับนกกระทุง)	Carnivora (สัตว์กินเนื้อ)
Family	Pelecanidae	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Pelecanus	Panthera (Big Cats)
Species	Pelecanus onocrotalus	Panthera leo

Evolutionary Relationship

Great White Pelican and Lion share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)

Conservation Status

Great White Pelican

NE — Not Evaluated

Trend: Stable →

Lion

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~23.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Great White Pelican	Lion
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

Great White Pelican

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Found across Europe (9 countries).

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.

Great White Pelican

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

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.