---
title: "polar bear vs tiger shark — size, speed and bite force"
description: "polar bear and tiger shark 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/polar-bear-vs-tiger-shark/
site: "At One Place"
---

# polar bear vs tiger shark

**polar bear vs tiger shark: tiger shark leads on 2 of 3 measures**

Measured comparison — not a prediction

The largest living land carnivore, classified as a marine mammal because it hunts from sea ice. A large, indiscriminate feeder second only to the great white in recorded attacks on people. On the measurements below, tiger shark 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

|  | polar bear | tiger shark |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mass | 150–700 kg | 200–900 kg |
| Length | 1.8–3 m | 3.3–5.5 m |
| Height | 1–1.6 m | — |
| Top speed | 40 km/h | — |
| Bite force | 1,200 psi | — |
| Lifespan | 20–32 yr | 20–50 yr |

## Where each one leads

- Mass: polar bear is 1.1× heavier.
- Length: tiger shark is 1.7× longer.
- Lifespan: tiger shark is 1.1× 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 polar bear bigger than a tiger shark?

polar bear is heavier — 150–700 kg against 200–900 kg.

### Who would win, a polar bear or a tiger shark?

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

## Sources

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