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

# spotted hyena vs wolverine

**spotted hyena vs wolverine: spotted hyena leads on 4 of 4 measures**

Measured comparison — not a prediction

A social carnivore whose jaws crack bone; females are larger than males and lead the clan. The largest land-dwelling weasel, strong enough to drive bears off carcasses. On the measurements below, spotted hyena 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 | wolverine |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mass | 40–86 kg | 8–25 kg |
| Length | 0.95–1.6 m | 0.65–1.07 m |
| Height | 0.7–0.92 m | 0.36–0.45 m |
| Top speed | 60 km/h | — |
| Bite force | 1,100 psi | — |
| Lifespan | 12–25 yr | 7–17 yr |

## Where each one leads

- Mass: spotted hyena is 4.3× heavier.
- Length: spotted hyena is 1.4× longer.
- Height: spotted hyena is 1.9× taller.
- Lifespan: spotted hyena 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 wolverine?

spotted hyena is heavier — 40–86 kg against 8–25 kg.

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

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 wolverine weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/wolverine/)
- [lion vs spotted hyena](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/lion-vs-spotted-hyena/)
- [lion vs wolverine](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/lion-vs-wolverine/)
- [tiger vs wolverine](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/tiger-vs-wolverine/)
- [leopard vs spotted hyena](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/leopard-vs-spotted-hyena/)
- [leopard vs wolverine](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/leopard-vs-wolverine/)
- [jaguar vs spotted hyena](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/jaguar-vs-spotted-hyena/)
- [jaguar vs wolverine](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/jaguar-vs-wolverine/)
- [cheetah vs spotted hyena](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-spotted-hyena/)
- [cheetah vs wolverine](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cheetah-vs-wolverine/)
- [cougar vs spotted hyena](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cougar-vs-spotted-hyena/)
- [cougar vs wolverine](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/cougar-vs-wolverine/)
- [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/)
- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (https://www.wikidata.org/) [CC0 1.0]