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

# spotted hyena vs walrus

**spotted hyena vs walrus: walrus 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 tusked Arctic pinniped that hauls out in herds of thousands and forages for clams on the seabed. On the measurements below, walrus 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 | walrus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mass | 40–86 kg | 400–1,900 kg |
| Length | 0.95–1.6 m | 2.2–3.6 m |
| Height | 0.7–0.92 m | — |
| Top speed | 60 km/h | — |
| Bite force | 1,100 psi | — |
| Lifespan | 12–25 yr | 30–40 yr |

## Where each one leads

- Mass: walrus is 17× heavier.
- Length: walrus is 2.3× longer.
- Lifespan: walrus is 2.0× 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 walrus?

walrus is heavier — 400–1,900 kg against 40–86 kg.

### Who would win, a spotted hyena or a walrus?

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 walrus weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/walrus/)
- [lion vs spotted hyena](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/lion-vs-spotted-hyena/)
- [lion vs walrus](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/lion-vs-walrus/)
- [tiger vs walrus](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/tiger-vs-walrus/)
- [leopard vs spotted hyena](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/leopard-vs-spotted-hyena/)
- [leopard vs walrus](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/leopard-vs-walrus/)
- [jaguar vs spotted hyena](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/jaguar-vs-spotted-hyena/)
- [jaguar vs walrus](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/jaguar-vs-walrus/)
- [cheetah vs spotted hyena](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-spotted-hyena/)
- [cheetah vs walrus](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-walrus/)
- [cougar vs spotted hyena](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cougar-vs-spotted-hyena/)
- [cougar vs walrus](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cougar-vs-walrus/)
- [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)]