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

# African elephant vs peregrine falcon

**African elephant vs peregrine falcon: African elephant leads on 3 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. The fastest animal on Earth, reaching over 320 km/h in a hunting stoop. 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 | peregrine falcon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mass | 2,200–10,400 kg | 0.33–1.5 kg |
| Length | 5.5–7.5 m | 0.34–0.58 m |
| Height | 2.2–4 m | — |
| Top speed | 40 km/h | 90–390 km/h |
| Lifespan | 50–70 yr | 8–19 yr |

## Where each one leads

- Mass: African elephant is 6667× heavier.
- Length: African elephant is 14× longer.
- Top speed: peregrine falcon is 8.0× faster.
- Lifespan: African elephant is 4.6× 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 peregrine falcon?

African elephant is heavier — 2,200–10,400 kg against 0.33–1.5 kg.

### Who would win, a African elephant or a peregrine falcon?

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 peregrine falcon weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/peregrine-falcon/)
- [lion vs peregrine falcon](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/lion-vs-peregrine-falcon/)
- [leopard vs peregrine falcon](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/leopard-vs-peregrine-falcon/)
- [jaguar vs peregrine falcon](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/jaguar-vs-peregrine-falcon/)
- [cheetah vs peregrine falcon](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-peregrine-falcon/)
- [cougar vs peregrine falcon](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cougar-vs-peregrine-falcon/)
- [domestic cat vs peregrine falcon](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/domestic-cat-vs-peregrine-falcon/)
- [grizzly bear vs peregrine falcon](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/grizzly-bear-vs-peregrine-falcon/)
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- [coyote vs peregrine falcon](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/coyote-vs-peregrine-falcon/)
- [honey badger vs peregrine falcon](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/honey-badger-vs-peregrine-falcon/)
- [African elephant vs lion](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/african-elephant-vs-lion/)
- [African elephant vs tiger](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/african-elephant-vs-tiger/)

## Sources

- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — Smithsonian Institution (https://naturalhistory.si.edu/)