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

# coyote vs great hammerhead

**coyote vs great hammerhead: great hammerhead leads on 3 of 3 measures**

Measured comparison — not a prediction

A mid-sized North American canid that has expanded its range as wolves have contracted theirs. The largest hammerhead, whose broad head spreads its electroreceptors for finding buried rays. On the measurements below, great hammerhead 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

|  | coyote | great hammerhead |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mass | 7–21 kg | 150–580 kg |
| Length | 0.7–1 m | 2.7–6.1 m |
| Height | 0.55–0.66 m | — |
| Top speed | 65 km/h | — |
| Lifespan | 6–14 yr | 20–44 yr |

## Where each one leads

- Mass: great hammerhead is 18× heavier.
- Length: great hammerhead is 3.9× longer.
- Lifespan: great hammerhead is 3.8× 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 coyote bigger than a great hammerhead?

great hammerhead is heavier — 150–580 kg against 7–21 kg.

### Who would win, a coyote or a great hammerhead?

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 coyote weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/coyote/)
- [How much does a great hammerhead weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/great-hammerhead/)
- [cheetah vs coyote](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-coyote/)
- [cheetah vs great hammerhead](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-great-hammerhead/)
- [cougar vs coyote](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cougar-vs-coyote/)
- [cougar vs great hammerhead](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cougar-vs-great-hammerhead/)
- [domestic cat vs great hammerhead](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/domestic-cat-vs-great-hammerhead/)
- [American black bear vs coyote](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/american-black-bear-vs-coyote/)
- [gray wolf vs great hammerhead](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/gray-wolf-vs-great-hammerhead/)
- [coyote vs lion](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/coyote-vs-lion/)
- [coyote vs tiger](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/coyote-vs-tiger/)
- [coyote vs leopard](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/coyote-vs-leopard/)
- [coyote vs jaguar](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/coyote-vs-jaguar/)
- [coyote vs snow leopard](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/coyote-vs-snow-leopard/)

## Sources

- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — Smithsonian Institution (https://naturalhistory.si.edu/)
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — NOAA (https://www.noaa.gov/) [Public domain (US Government)]