---
title: "hippopotamus vs red kangaroo — size, speed and bite force"
description: "hippopotamus and red kangaroo 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/hippopotamus-vs-red-kangaroo/
site: "At One Place"
---

# hippopotamus vs red kangaroo

**hippopotamus vs red kangaroo: hippopotamus leads on 3 of 5 measures**

Measured comparison — not a prediction

A semi-aquatic grazer, the third-heaviest land mammal and among the most dangerous to people. The largest marsupial; a hopping gait that gets more efficient the faster it goes. On the measurements below, hippopotamus 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

|  | hippopotamus | red kangaroo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mass | 1,300–3,200 kg | 18–92 kg |
| Length | 3.3–5 m | 0.85–1.6 m |
| Height | 1.3–1.65 m | 1–1.8 m |
| Top speed | 25–30 km/h | 56 km/h |
| Bite force | 1,800 psi | — |
| Lifespan | 40–55 yr | 12–25 yr |

## Where each one leads

- Mass: hippopotamus is 25× heavier.
- Length: hippopotamus is 2.5× longer.
- Height: near enough identical.
- Top speed: red kangaroo is 1.9× faster.
- Lifespan: hippopotamus 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 hippopotamus bigger than a red kangaroo?

hippopotamus is heavier — 1,300–3,200 kg against 18–92 kg.

### Who would win, a hippopotamus or a red kangaroo?

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

## Sources

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