---
title: "emperor penguin vs mallard — size, speed and bite force"
description: "emperor penguin and mallard 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/emperor-penguin-vs-mallard/
site: "At One Place"
---

# emperor penguin vs mallard

**emperor penguin vs mallard: emperor penguin leads on 2 of 2 measures**

Measured comparison — not a prediction

The largest penguin, which breeds through the Antarctic winter and dives to over 500 m. The most common wild duck in the Northern Hemisphere and the ancestor of nearly all domestic ducks. On the measurements below, emperor penguin 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

|  | emperor penguin | mallard |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mass | 22–45 kg | 0.7–1.6 kg |
| Length | — | 0.5–0.65 m |
| Height | 1–1.3 m | — |
| Top speed | — | 88 km/h |
| Lifespan | 15–50 yr | 3–29 yr |

## Where each one leads

- Mass: emperor penguin is 27× heavier.
- Lifespan: emperor penguin is 4.0× 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 emperor penguin bigger than a mallard?

emperor penguin is heavier — 22–45 kg against 0.7–1.6 kg.

### Who would win, a emperor penguin or a mallard?

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 emperor penguin weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/emperor-penguin/)
- [How much does a mallard weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/mallard/)
- [lion vs mallard](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/lion-vs-mallard/)
- [domestic cat vs emperor penguin](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/domestic-cat-vs-emperor-penguin/)
- [domestic cat vs mallard](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/domestic-cat-vs-mallard/)
- [African elephant vs emperor penguin](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/african-elephant-vs-emperor-penguin/)
- [African elephant vs mallard](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/african-elephant-vs-mallard/)
- [blue whale vs emperor penguin](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/blue-whale-vs-emperor-penguin/)
- [blue whale vs mallard](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/blue-whale-vs-mallard/)
- [bottlenose dolphin vs emperor penguin](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/bottlenose-dolphin-vs-emperor-penguin/)
- [California sea lion vs emperor penguin](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/california-sea-lion-vs-emperor-penguin/)
- [great white shark vs mallard](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/great-white-shark-vs-mallard/)
- [bull shark vs emperor penguin](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/bull-shark-vs-emperor-penguin/)
- [bald eagle vs emperor penguin](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/bald-eagle-vs-emperor-penguin/)

## Sources

- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — NOAA (https://www.noaa.gov/) [Public domain (US Government)]
- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (https://www.wikidata.org/) [CC0 1.0]