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

# great hammerhead vs grizzly bear

**great hammerhead vs grizzly bear: great hammerhead leads on 2 of 3 measures**

Measured comparison — not a prediction

The largest hammerhead, whose broad head spreads its electroreceptors for finding buried rays. The inland North American brown bear, smaller than coastal populations because it eats less salmon. 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

|  | great hammerhead | grizzly bear |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mass | 150–580 kg | 130–360 kg |
| Length | 2.7–6.1 m | 1.7–2.4 m |
| Height | — | 0.9–1.1 m |
| Top speed | — | 56 km/h |
| Bite force | — | 975 psi |
| Lifespan | 20–44 yr | 20–35 yr |

## Where each one leads

- Mass: grizzly bear is 1.2× heavier.
- Length: great hammerhead is 1.8× longer.
- Lifespan: great hammerhead is 1.2× 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 great hammerhead bigger than a grizzly bear?

grizzly bear is heavier — 130–360 kg against 150–580 kg.

### Who would win, a great hammerhead or a grizzly bear?

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

## Sources

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