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

# spotted hyena vs tiger shark

**spotted hyena vs tiger shark: tiger shark leads on 3 of 3 measures**

Measured comparison — not a prediction

A social carnivore whose jaws crack bone; females are larger than males and lead the clan. 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

|  | spotted hyena | tiger shark |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mass | 40–86 kg | 200–900 kg |
| Length | 0.95–1.6 m | 3.3–5.5 m |
| Height | 0.7–0.92 m | — |
| Top speed | 60 km/h | — |
| Bite force | 1,100 psi | — |
| Lifespan | 12–25 yr | 20–50 yr |

## Where each one leads

- Mass: tiger shark is 6.7× heavier.
- Length: tiger shark is 3.1× longer.
- Lifespan: tiger shark is 1.4× 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 spotted hyena bigger than a tiger shark?

tiger shark is heavier — 200–900 kg against 40–86 kg.

### Who would win, a spotted hyena 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 spotted hyena weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/spotted-hyena/)
- [How much does a tiger shark weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/tiger-shark/)
- [lion vs spotted hyena](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/lion-vs-spotted-hyena/)
- [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 spotted hyena](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/leopard-vs-spotted-hyena/)
- [leopard vs tiger shark](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/leopard-vs-tiger-shark/)
- [jaguar vs spotted hyena](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/jaguar-vs-spotted-hyena/)
- [jaguar vs tiger shark](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/jaguar-vs-tiger-shark/)
- [cheetah vs spotted hyena](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-spotted-hyena/)
- [cheetah vs tiger shark](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-tiger-shark/)
- [cougar vs spotted hyena](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cougar-vs-spotted-hyena/)
- [cougar vs tiger shark](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cougar-vs-tiger-shark/)
- [snow leopard vs spotted hyena](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/snow-leopard-vs-spotted-hyena/)

## 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)]