American black bear vs red kangaroo

North America's most common bear, and the one most people actually encounter. The largest marsupial; a hopping gait that gets more efficient the faster it goes. The measurements below split evenly, which is rarer than it sounds.

The measurements

Where each one leads

• Mass: American black bear is 2.2× heavier.
• Length: American black bear is 1.1× longer.
• Height: red kangaroo is 1.7× taller.
• Top speed: red kangaroo is 1.2× faster.
• Lifespan: near enough identical.

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.