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

# great hammerhead vs peregrine falcon

**great hammerhead vs peregrine falcon: great hammerhead leads on 3 of 3 measures**

Measured comparison — not a prediction

The largest hammerhead, whose broad head spreads its electroreceptors for finding buried rays. The fastest animal on Earth, reaching over 320 km/h in a hunting stoop. 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 | peregrine falcon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mass | 150–580 kg | 0.33–1.5 kg |
| Length | 2.7–6.1 m | 0.34–0.58 m |
| Top speed | — | 90–390 km/h |
| Lifespan | 20–44 yr | 8–19 yr |

## Where each one leads

- Mass: great hammerhead is 256× heavier.
- Length: great hammerhead is 7.8× longer.
- Lifespan: great hammerhead is 2.3× 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 great hammerhead bigger than a peregrine falcon?

great hammerhead is heavier — 150–580 kg against 0.33–1.5 kg.

### Who would win, a great hammerhead or a peregrine falcon?

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 peregrine falcon weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/peregrine-falcon/)
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- [cheetah vs great hammerhead](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-great-hammerhead/)
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- [cougar vs great hammerhead](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cougar-vs-great-hammerhead/)
- [cougar vs peregrine falcon](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cougar-vs-peregrine-falcon/)
- [domestic cat vs great hammerhead](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/domestic-cat-vs-great-hammerhead/)
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- [gray wolf vs great hammerhead](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/gray-wolf-vs-great-hammerhead/)
- [gray wolf vs peregrine falcon](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/gray-wolf-vs-peregrine-falcon/)

## 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/)