🐆 Cougar vs Grizzly bear 🐻
The cougar and the grizzly bear are about the same size. The grizzly bear weighs about 3 times as much as the cougar.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐆 Cougar | 🐻 Grizzly bear |
|---|---|---|
| Size They are about the same size. | 4.9 to 8.2 ft1.5 to 2.5 m1 | 5 to 7 ft1.5 to 2.1 m2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the cougar yet. | no checked number yet | 35 mph56 km/h3 |
| Weight The grizzly bear weighs about 3 times as much as the cougar. | 64 to 265 lb29 to 120 kg1 | 243 to 661 lb110 to 300 kg4 |
| Lives The grizzly bear lives a bit longer than the cougar. | 18 to 20 years18 to 20 years1 | 25 years25 years4 |
| Eats The cougar eats meat; the grizzly bear eats plants and animals. | mostly hoofed animals such as elk and deer, and smaller animals too | roots, berries, grasses, nuts, fish, insects and meat |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | mountains, forests, grassland and deserts across the Americas, mostly in wild, quiet places | the mountains and forests of western North America, from Alaska to Wyoming |
Which one? Cougar or grizzly bear
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for 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 Cougar vs Grizzly bear
- The cougar: A big, plain-colored cat of the Americas, also called a mountain lion.
- The grizzly bear: A big brown bear with a shoulder hump, strong enough to dig.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are mammals.
- The cougar and the grizzly bear are about the same size: 1 against 2.
- The grizzly bear weighs about 3 times as much as the cougar. That is 1 for the cougar and 4 for the grizzly bear.
- The grizzly bear lives a bit longer than the cougar. Usual lifespans: 1 for the cougar and 4 for the grizzly bear.
- The cougar eats mostly hoofed animals such as elk and deer, and smaller animals too. The grizzly bear eats roots, berries, grasses, nuts, fish, insects and meat.
- The cougar lives in mountains, forests, grassland and deserts across the Americas, mostly in wild, quiet places. The grizzly bear lives in the mountains and forests of western North America, from Alaska to Wyoming. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The cougar: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 5
- The grizzly bear: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 6
Wow facts
🐆 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.
🐻 Grizzly bear
- The hump on its back is a big shoulder muscle for digging.
- Its cubs are born tiny, in the middle of winter.
- Many grizzlies eat more plants than meat.
Questions kids ask about Cougar and Grizzly bear
Which is bigger, cougar or grizzly bear?
The cougar and the grizzly bear are about the same size: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, cougar or grizzly bear?
The grizzly bear weighs about 3 times as much as the cougar. That is 1 for the cougar and 4 for the grizzly bear.
Which lives longer, cougar or grizzly bear?
The grizzly bear lives a bit longer than the cougar. Usual lifespans: 1 for the cougar and 4 for the grizzly bear.
What do cougar and grizzly bear eat?
The cougar eats mostly hoofed animals such as elk and deer, and smaller animals too. The grizzly bear eats roots, berries, grasses, nuts, fish, insects and meat.
Where do cougar and grizzly bear live?
The cougar lives in mountains, forests, grassland and deserts across the Americas, mostly in wild, quiet places. The grizzly bear lives in the mountains and forests of western North America, from Alaska to Wyoming. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do cougars eat grizzly bears?
The cougar eats mostly hoofed animals such as elk and deer, and smaller animals too. Grizzly bears are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, cougar or grizzly bear?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They can share the same kind of place, and real animals mostly keep out of each other's way. 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/cougar-vs-grizzly-bear
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Puma concolor (cougar, mountain lion), checked 10 November 2026.
- National Park Service, Bears (brown bears), checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Glacier, checked 30 October 2026.
- US Fish and Wildlife Service (grizzly bear species profile), checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.