---
title: "coyote vs wolverine — size, speed and bite force"
description: "coyote and wolverine 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-wolverine/
site: "At One Place"
---

# coyote vs wolverine

**coyote vs wolverine: wolverine leads on 2 of 4 measures**

Measured comparison — not a prediction

A mid-sized North American canid that has expanded its range as wolves have contracted theirs. The largest land-dwelling weasel, strong enough to drive bears off carcasses. On the measurements below, wolverine 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 | wolverine |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mass | 7–21 kg | 8–25 kg |
| Length | 0.7–1 m | 0.65–1.07 m |
| Height | 0.55–0.66 m | 0.36–0.45 m |
| Top speed | 65 km/h | — |
| Lifespan | 6–14 yr | 7–17 yr |

## Where each one leads

- Mass: wolverine is 1.1× heavier.
- Length: near enough identical.
- Height: coyote is 1.4× taller.
- Lifespan: wolverine 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.

## Common questions

### Is a coyote bigger than a wolverine?

wolverine is heavier — 8–25 kg against 7–21 kg.

### Who would win, a coyote or a wolverine?

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 wolverine weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/wolverine/)
- [lion vs wolverine](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/lion-vs-wolverine/)
- [tiger vs wolverine](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/tiger-vs-wolverine/)
- [leopard vs wolverine](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/leopard-vs-wolverine/)
- [jaguar vs wolverine](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/jaguar-vs-wolverine/)
- [cheetah vs coyote](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-coyote/)
- [cheetah vs wolverine](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-wolverine/)
- [cougar vs coyote](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cougar-vs-coyote/)
- [cougar vs wolverine](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cougar-vs-wolverine/)
- [snow leopard vs wolverine](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/snow-leopard-vs-wolverine/)
- [domestic cat vs wolverine](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/domestic-cat-vs-wolverine/)
- [grizzly bear vs wolverine](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/grizzly-bear-vs-wolverine/)
- [polar bear vs wolverine](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/polar-bear-vs-wolverine/)

## Sources

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