bald eagle vs elk

The national bird of the United States, recovered from about 400 nesting pairs in 1963 to over 70,000 today. The second-largest deer, whose bulls bugle in autumn and carry antlers over a metre long. The measurements below split evenly, which is rarer than it sounds.

The measurements

Where each one leads

• Mass: elk is 71× heavier.
• Length: elk is 2.8× longer.
• Top speed: bald eagle is 2.2× faster.
• Lifespan: bald eagle is 1.3× 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.