🐻 American black bear vs Shortfin mako 🦈
The shortfin mako is about twice as long as the American black bear. The American black bear weighs about twice as much as the shortfin mako.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐻 American black bear | 🦈 Shortfin mako |
|---|---|---|
| Size The shortfin mako is about twice as long as the American black bear. | 3.9 to 6.6 ft1.2 to 2 m1 | 10 to 12 ft3.2 to 3.8 m2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight The American black bear weighs about twice as much as the shortfin mako. | 86 to 902 lb39 to 409 kg1 | 132 to 298 lb60 to 135 kg2 |
| Lives The shortfin mako usually lives about 3 times as long as the American black bear. | 10 years10 years1 | 29 to 32 years29 to 32 years2 |
| Eats The American black bear eats plants and animals; the shortfin mako eats fish. | grasses, fruit, nuts and insects, and sometimes animals that have died | mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | forests across North America, in thick brush with plenty of food | open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface |
Which one? American black bear or shortfin mako
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the American black bear or the shortfin mako yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
10 things to know about American black bear vs Shortfin mako
- The American black bear: A common bear of North American forests that eats mostly plants.
- The shortfin mako: A sleek open-ocean shark that travels far across the sea.
- They are different kinds of animal. The American black bear is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk; the shortfin mako is a fish, so it breathes with gills.
- The shortfin mako is about twice as long as the American black bear: 2 against 1.
- The American black bear weighs about twice as much as the shortfin mako. That is 1 for the American black bear and 2 for the shortfin mako.
- The shortfin mako usually lives about 3 times as long as the American black bear. Usual lifespans: 1 for the American black bear and 2 for the shortfin mako.
- The American black bear eats grasses, fruit, nuts and insects, and sometimes animals that have died. The shortfin mako eats mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid.
- The American black bear lives in forests across North America, in thick brush with plenty of food. The shortfin mako lives in open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The American black bear: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The shortfin mako: in danger (Endangered on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🐻 American black bear
- A black bear eats mostly plants.
- It lives in forests from Alaska to Mexico.
- In spring it eats grasses.
🦈 Shortfin mako
- A shortfin mako travels very long distances.
- Females are bigger than males.
- It lives in warm and cool seas around the world.
Questions kids ask about American black bear and Shortfin mako
Which is bigger, American black bear or shortfin mako?
The shortfin mako is about twice as long as the American black bear: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, American black bear or shortfin mako?
The American black bear weighs about twice as much as the shortfin mako. That is 1 for the American black bear and 2 for the shortfin mako.
Which lives longer, American black bear or shortfin mako?
The shortfin mako usually lives about 3 times as long as the American black bear. Usual lifespans: 1 for the American black bear and 2 for the shortfin mako.
What do American black bear and shortfin mako eat?
The American black bear eats grasses, fruit, nuts and insects, and sometimes animals that have died. The shortfin mako eats mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid.
Where do American black bear and shortfin mako live?
The American black bear lives in forests across North America, in thick brush with plenty of food. The shortfin mako lives in open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, American black bear or shortfin mako?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/black-bear-vs-mako-shark
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Ursus americanus (American black bear), checked 10 November 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Isurus oxyrinchus (shortfin mako), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.