🦈 Bull shark vs Cougar 🐆
The bull shark is a bit bigger than the cougar. The bull shark weighs about one and a half times as much as the cougar.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦈 Bull shark | 🐆 Cougar |
|---|---|---|
| Size The bull shark is a bit bigger than the cougar. | 7.5 to 9.3 ft2.3 to 2.8 m1 | 4.9 to 8.2 ft1.5 to 2.5 m2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight The bull shark weighs about one and a half times as much as the cougar. | 209 to 245 lb95 to 111 kg1 | 64 to 265 lb29 to 120 kg2 |
| Lives The bull shark usually lives about one and a half times as long as the cougar. | 32 years32 years1 | 18 to 20 years18 to 20 years2 |
| Eats The bull shark eats fish; the cougar eats meat. | mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays, and also crabs | mostly hoofed animals such as elk and deer, and smaller animals too |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | warm, shallow coastal seas, and also rivers and lakes | mountains, forests, grassland and deserts across the Americas, mostly in wild, quiet places |
Which one? Bull shark or cougar
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the bull shark or the cougar 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 Bull shark vs Cougar
- The bull shark: A sturdy shark that can swim in salt water and in fresh water.
- The cougar: A big, plain-colored cat of the Americas, also called a mountain lion.
- They are different kinds of animal. The bull shark is a fish, so it breathes with gills; the cougar is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk.
- The bull shark is a bit bigger than the cougar: 1 against 2.
- The bull shark weighs about one and a half times as much as the cougar. That is 1 for the bull shark and 2 for the cougar.
- The bull shark usually lives about one and a half times as long as the cougar. Usual lifespans: 1 for the bull shark and 2 for the cougar.
- The bull shark eats mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays, and also crabs. The cougar eats mostly hoofed animals such as elk and deer, and smaller animals too.
- The bull shark lives in warm, shallow coastal seas, and also rivers and lakes. The cougar lives in mountains, forests, grassland and deserts across the Americas, mostly in wild, quiet places. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The bull shark: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The cougar: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🦈 Bull shark
- A bull shark can swim in salt water and in fresh water.
- It is the only shark that can stay in fresh water for a long time.
- It eats mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays.
🐆 Cougar
- A cougar is also called a mountain lion.
- It once lived across more of the Americas than any other land mammal.
- It eats mostly hoofed animals such as elk and deer.
Questions kids ask about Bull shark and Cougar
Which is heavier, bull shark or cougar?
The bull shark weighs about one and a half times as much as the cougar. That is 1 for the bull shark and 2 for the cougar.
Which lives longer, bull shark or cougar?
The bull shark usually lives about one and a half times as long as the cougar. Usual lifespans: 1 for the bull shark and 2 for the cougar.
What do bull shark and cougar eat?
The bull shark eats mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays, and also crabs. The cougar eats mostly hoofed animals such as elk and deer, and smaller animals too.
Where do bull shark and cougar live?
The bull shark lives in warm, shallow coastal seas, and also rivers and lakes. The cougar lives in mountains, forests, grassland and deserts across the Americas, mostly in wild, quiet places. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, bull shark or cougar?
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/bull-shark-vs-cougar
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Carcharhinus leucas (bull shark), checked 10 November 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Puma concolor (cougar, mountain lion), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.