---
title: "African elephant vs honey badger — size, speed and bite force"
description: "African elephant and honey badger compared on mass, length, speed, bite force and lifespan — every measure side by side, with why the numbers cannot settle an encoun"
url: https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/african-elephant-vs-honey-badger/
site: "At One Place"
---

# African elephant vs honey badger

**African elephant vs honey badger: African elephant leads on 4 of 4 measures**

Measured comparison — not a prediction

The largest living land animal, distinguished from the Asian elephant by larger ears and a dipped back. A small mustelid with loose, thick skin and a reputation for attacking animals many times its size. On the measurements below, African elephant leads on more of them — but they do not all point the same way, and the ones that disagree are the interesting part.

## The measurements

|  | African elephant | honey badger |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mass | 2,200–10,400 kg | 5–16 kg |
| Length | 5.5–7.5 m | 0.55–0.95 m |
| Height | 2.2–4 m | 0.23–0.3 m |
| Top speed | 40 km/h | — |
| Lifespan | 50–70 yr | 5–24 yr |

## Where each one leads

- Mass: African elephant is 600× heavier.
- Length: African elephant is 8.7× longer.
- Height: African elephant is 12× taller.
- Lifespan: African elephant is 8.6× a longer life.

## What this does and does not tell you

These are measured averages with real ranges behind them, and every figure links to its own page. What they cannot do is settle an encounter. Outcomes between animals turn on circumstance — who initiates, whether either is hungry, defending young, injured or cornered, and what the terrain favours. Size and bite force are not decisive on their own, and most of these pairs never meet in the wild in any case, because their ranges do not overlap.

> Every figure here is an average with a substantial spread. Individual animals vary enormously — a large individual of the smaller species routinely exceeds a small individual of the larger one.

## Common questions

### Is a African elephant bigger than a honey badger?

African elephant is heavier — 2,200–10,400 kg against 5–16 kg.

### Who would win, a African elephant or a honey badger?

That is not something measurements can settle. The comparison above shows which animal leads on each measure, but an actual encounter depends on circumstance, motivation, health and terrain — and most pairs like this never meet in the wild.

## Related pages

- [How much does a African elephant weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/african-elephant/)
- [How much does a honey badger weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/honey-badger/)
- [cheetah vs honey badger](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-honey-badger/)
- [cougar vs honey badger](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cougar-vs-honey-badger/)
- [domestic cat vs honey badger](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/domestic-cat-vs-honey-badger/)
- [grizzly bear vs honey badger](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/grizzly-bear-vs-honey-badger/)
- [American black bear vs honey badger](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/american-black-bear-vs-honey-badger/)
- [giant panda vs honey badger](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/giant-panda-vs-honey-badger/)
- [gray wolf vs honey badger](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/gray-wolf-vs-honey-badger/)
- [coyote vs honey badger](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/coyote-vs-honey-badger/)
- [honey badger vs lion](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/honey-badger-vs-lion/)
- [honey badger vs tiger](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/honey-badger-vs-tiger/)
- [honey badger vs leopard](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/honey-badger-vs-leopard/)
- [honey badger vs jaguar](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/honey-badger-vs-jaguar/)

## Sources

- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — Smithsonian Institution (https://naturalhistory.si.edu/)
- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (https://www.wikidata.org/) [CC0 1.0]