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The Amazing World Of Animals

Can A Polar Bear Defeat A Lion, Tiger, Gorilla Or Grizzly Bear In Battle?

polar bear vs grizzly bear

Before polar bears became our most iconic symbol of climate change, they were more often a symbol of terrifying animal strength. Anyone old enough to have played pioneering fight game Tekken 2 in the mid nineties will likely remember the polar bear, Kuma. Other characters had laser beams which blasted out of their eyes or fists which turned into balls of fire, but Kuma’s special move was actually the most satisfying – lumbering to his feet he would smash both of his enormous claws together, dropping even the strongest enemy to the floor quivering and bleeding, and very often dead.

Today we’re going to celebrate the power of the polar bear again, though for our fight game we’ll be pitching the largest mammalian carnivore on the planet against four other beast foes. But first, let’s take a quick look at the polar bear’s fighting stats.

Height: 8 feet when standing
Weight: 1,400 pounds
Speed: 25 miles per hour
Bite Force: 1235 PSI
Predators: None
Diet: seals, walruses, whales
Lifespan: 20 – 30 years

You know you are dealing with a formidable opponent when its prey includes whales, although the fact that polar bears regularly take on walruses – which are much larger than them, and boast terrifying tusks – is perhaps the real proof that the polar bear is king of the ice. But, for the first fight, let’s pitch the king of the ice against the king of the jungle. Let’s consider polar bear versus lion.

 

POLAR BEAR VERSUS LION

polar bear vs lion

Weight: 420 pounds
Speed: 50 miles per hour
Bite Force: 650 PSI
Predators: None
Diet: antelopes, buffaloes, zebras, young elephants, rhinos, hippos, wild hogs, crocodiles and giraffes.
Lifespan: 20 – 30 years

Take a quick look at the above statistics and you might think the lion wouldn’t stand a chance, given the bear’s sheer bulk and terrifying bite. However, a lion is a very courageous hunter who will take on other animals with mighty jaws, such as crocodiles. Polar bears are more likely to sneak attack prey with considerably fewer defenses. The lion would therefore have an advantage in sheer aggression which, coupled with its superior speed, would allow it to draw first blood. Unfortunately for the big cat, the polar bear’s deep shield of blubber means that a first wound is rarely enough to kill it outright, giving it the chance to throw all of its strength into the battle.

Rather remarkably, this battle really has happened in the real world, though only in the environment of a circus. A lion called Brutus is said to have killed a polar bear in a rapid and savage assault. However, the polar bear was a small juvenile. In the wild, among two fully grown adults, it’s hard to see the lion being victorious in most circumstances. The bear’s sheer size, strength and stamina would surely end in the lion being crushed and mauled to death, though not without inflicting some serious damage in the process.

WINNER: POLAR BEAR

 

 

POLAR BEAR VERSUS TIGER

polar bear vs tiger

Weight: 500 pounds
Speed: 40 miles per hour
Bite Force: 1050 PSI
Predators: None
Diet: antelopes, buffaloes, deer, wild hogs
Lifespan: 10 – 15 years

If a lion would be defeated by a polar bear, what about its rival for the crown of king of the big cats, the tiger? This is where things would get more interesting. The tiger is a more cautious and sneaky hunter than the lion. It would be even less likely than a lion to risk an attack, but if it did, it would almost certainly attempt to take the bear by surprise and would, literally, go for the jugular (yes, bears have jugulars, too).

An attacking tiger would seek to leap onto the bear’s larger frame, sink its awesome teeth into the bear’s neck or skull, and would then hold on for dear life with its 4 inch, hook-like claws. If the bear survived this first assault with enough strength and presence of mind to roll on top of the tiger, it could still win by crushing it and overwhelming it. However, a tiger is strong and agile enough that it might be able to hold on long enough for blood loss to rob the bear of all its strength.

If, on the other hand, the bear attacked first, a furious blow from its claws would be enough to disable a tiger, or stun it for long enough for the bear to sink its own jaws into the tiger’s throat. Both fighters have their strengths, but the tiger’s greater agility and killing-machine ruthlessness are matched by the polar bear’s strength and stamina. We’ll call this one a draw.

WINNER: DRAW

 

 

POLAR BEAR VERSUS GORILLA

Height: 6 foot
Weight: 450 pounds
Speed: 20 miles per hour
Bite Force: 1300 PSI
Predators: in some circumstances, leopards
Diet: mostly herbivorous, eating plants and grubs
Lifespan: 35 – 40 years

If polar bears are known for their strength, how would they fare against another beast known for terrifying power, the silverback gorilla? Unfortunately for the gorilla, the likelihood is that this would be a very short battle.

A gorilla’s fists might be almighty clubs, but they aren’t as formidable or sharp as a bear’s claws. A gorilla does have an even more powerful bite than the bear, but it also has much smaller jaws, and would be unlikely to fasten its teeth onto enough of a bear to do serious damage before the bear could retaliate. Perhaps most importantly, the gorilla lacks the speed of the lion and tiger, and would be less able to launch a surprise attack before the bear is able to respond with a savage swipe of its claws. It’s difficult to imagine any circumstances where the gorilla doesn’t end up a mangled mess at the end of this encounter.

WINNER: POLAR BEAR

 

 

POLAR BEAR VERSUS GRIZZLY BEAR

polar bear vs grizzly bear

Height: 7 Feet
Weight: 800 pounds
Speed: 35 miles per hour
Bite Force: 1200 PSI
Predators: None
Diet: fish (especially salmon), rodents, carrion, and hoofed animals like moose, elk, caribou, and deer.
Lifespan: 20 – 25 years

Now it’s time for the polar bear’s ultimate challenge, cousin grizzly. This death match has actually been a subject of fascination since the dawn of the Internet and probably long before. However, it’s only in recent years that it’s been a common reality-based occurrence, with global warming allowing the grizzly to range much further into the polar bear’s terrain than before. Early evidence suggests that the grizzlies might have the advantage – witnesses have watched grizzlies drive off polar rivals during fights over food, and they have also been known to kill polar bear cubs.

Many believe these victories to be a case of the grizzly’s greater aggression simply frightening the more cautious polar bear. If two full sized adult males were trapped together and forced to fight to the death, the outcome looks much less certain. The grizzly’s aggression might score it some early points with vicious claw wounds, but the bear’s blubber shield should enable it to survive and bring its much greater size into play.

If the fight turned into more of a wrestling match, with both attempting to simultaneously inflict as much damage as possible with tooth and claw, the polar bear would probably overwhelm its smaller foe. While its entirely possible that a grizzly could win in some circumstances, the two are so evenly matched in weapons and defenses that size would in most circumstances make the biggest difference – and that’s where the polar bear has the clear advantage. For that reason we are calling this fight for the almighty polar bear. The bear may be facing many existential challenges, but defeat in one-on-one combat is not one of them.

WINNER: POLAR BEAR

A more detailed breakdown of the matchup between a Polar Bear vs Grizzly Bear

 

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Filed Under: Gorilla, Grizzly Bear, Lion, Polar Bear, Tiger

About Nick Lee

Nick Lee is a former vet assistant and animal lover who likes to research, write about and share his knowledge of all things animals. He has a poodle mix named Theo and a cat named Mariska, who he loves dearly. He has been writing for Ned Hardy since its inception.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Barstid says

    August 25, 2020 at 12:32 pm

    Polar bear vs Tiger. The tiger often fights to a draw with the much smaller sloth bear of India, which males average 300 pounds. The tiger, if it ambushes the bear, especially from above, and gets hold of the back of the neck would usually prevail, but face to face, the tiger will often back down from an actual death battle. Even if it wins, the tiger would be badly wounded in such a contest and the wounds may cause it to die of infection or starvation if it cannot hunt.

    Note: Asiatic lions are also wary of the sloth bear and unlikely to attack one of them without the pride to back them up unless defending cubs.

    In general, large carnivores tend to be cautious of each other outside of mating or territorial issues. The same tiger who may decide a fight with the sloth bear is not worth the risk, would not hesitate to enter a life or death battle with another tiger over territory/mating.

    Reply
    • elsayayin says

      November 1, 2020 at 4:34 am

      Lol another journalistic garbage article. So a tiger ties with a polar bear and lion loses. Lol lions beat tigers as well. So aparently for people a tiger is an invincible super monster that beats everything crocs, polar bears and even chuck Norris. This just shows that any idiot can become a journalist and write garbage on sites. Pretty goddamn biased crap tiger fanatics come up with this days. A tie with a polar bear who weights 1000+lb your kidding me right.

      Reply
      • thesiayan says

        November 1, 2020 at 4:39 am

        Lmao Brutus was a serios lion and scratched many trainers and was very aggressive. But this is what tiger fangirls do, discredit any source that can be a possible challenge to their striped god. If y’all like tigers so much marry them man, always licking the cats nuts and overrating them extremely. Worst part is people take this bs info as true but it’s just written by some crap journalists who received their diploma in McDonald university

        Reply
        • Saqib Rana says

          August 2, 2021 at 4:04 am

          you dont have any knowledge fighting boy. just see the stats. tiger has a lot more muscle mass and is smarter and more technical

          Reply
      • quartez bach says

        October 18, 2021 at 5:35 pm

        hmm… i think that an tiger would win of the fight with the lion …

        Reply
      • Dream says

        January 12, 2022 at 4:31 am

        Nah tiger is stronher than lion ur just childhood dream no one cares about u

        Reply
      • LUIE says

        May 28, 2022 at 1:49 pm

        Ok there Lion lover loser . Don’t cry because simba got knocked the fk up now..wuahhh wuahh

        Reply
    • Wonderful says

      February 4, 2021 at 6:33 pm

      Wow cool polarbear is strong

      Reply
    • quartez bach says

      October 18, 2021 at 5:26 pm

      what other beasts could kill an tiger? … thanks. Quartez Bach

      Reply
  2. Grizzly Adams says

    August 29, 2020 at 8:00 pm

    Polar bears have never been more numerous and healthy as they are right now. So-called Climate Change is not hurting them in the slightest. Stop pushing that lie, please.

    Reply
    • Zenbhudda says

      February 9, 2021 at 12:35 am

      The ice flows are receding moron, and Polar bears eat seals through the ice.

      Reply
      • Tom says

        March 22, 2021 at 3:34 am

        You live in polar bear country, and you’re getting ready to plant pineapples? I see your receding ice, and raise you a train load of them pineapples. With a 60 000 polar bear population, if anything, their farts are melting the ice in Summer.

        Reply
  3. cat says

    February 8, 2021 at 3:04 pm

    polar bears are eaten by orcas.

    Reply
  4. S says

    March 14, 2021 at 8:19 am

    The Polar bear numbers are strong according to the Canadian studies

    Reply
  5. Poopy Pants says

    March 29, 2021 at 6:23 am

    Yea, safe to say a polar bears smokes them all, starting with the tiger. A wild tiger can’t even whip a tiny sloth bear. Only the grizzly would stand a chance and it would die also. People don’t realize how big polar bears are.

    Reply
  6. Arthur Morgan says

    June 2, 2021 at 4:28 pm

    So many ignorant people attribute climate change to things. The climate has been changing for millions of years – we have 100 years of reliable days – everything you hear is based on predictive models that turn out to be totally off (almost every one that has come to pass). Ignorance is blinding the masses unfortunately. People should become educated in science, not cling to a narrative circulated to benefit researchers who will get more grant money due to the fake panic…

    Reply
  7. quartez bach says

    October 18, 2021 at 5:41 pm

    Cat tell me more about an fight with an polar bear and the orca

    Reply
  8. David Mersh says

    May 12, 2022 at 8:19 am

    Lions do have predators, they sometimes get killed and eaten by spotted hyenas.

    Reply

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