🐆 Cougar vs Shortfin mako 🦈
The shortfin mako is about twice as long as the cougar. The shortfin mako is a bit heavier than the cougar.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐆 Cougar | 🦈 Shortfin mako |
|---|---|---|
| Size The shortfin mako is about twice as long as the cougar. | 4.9 to 8.2 ft1.5 to 2.5 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 shortfin mako is a bit heavier than the cougar. | 64 to 265 lb29 to 120 kg1 | 132 to 298 lb60 to 135 kg2 |
| Lives The shortfin mako usually lives about one and a half times as long as the cougar. | 18 to 20 years18 to 20 years1 | 29 to 32 years29 to 32 years2 |
| Eats The cougar eats meat; the shortfin mako eats fish. | mostly hoofed animals such as elk and deer, and smaller animals too | mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | mountains, forests, grassland and deserts across the Americas, mostly in wild, quiet places | open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface |
Which one? Cougar or shortfin mako
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the cougar 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 Cougar vs Shortfin mako
- The cougar: A big, plain-colored cat of the Americas, also called a mountain lion.
- The shortfin mako: A sleek open-ocean shark that travels far across the sea.
- They are different kinds of animal. The cougar 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 cougar: 2 against 1.
- The shortfin mako is a bit heavier than the cougar. That is 1 for the cougar and 2 for the shortfin mako.
- The shortfin mako usually lives about one and a half times as long as the cougar. Usual lifespans: 1 for the cougar and 2 for the shortfin mako.
- The cougar eats mostly hoofed animals such as elk and deer, and smaller animals too. The shortfin mako eats mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid.
- The cougar lives in mountains, forests, grassland and deserts across the Americas, mostly in wild, quiet places. 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 cougar: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The shortfin mako: in danger (Endangered on the IUCN Red List). 4
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.
🦈 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 Cougar and Shortfin mako
Which is bigger, cougar or shortfin mako?
The shortfin mako is about twice as long as the cougar: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, cougar or shortfin mako?
The shortfin mako is a bit heavier than the cougar. That is 1 for the cougar and 2 for the shortfin mako.
Which lives longer, cougar or shortfin mako?
The shortfin mako usually lives about one and a half times as long as the cougar. Usual lifespans: 1 for the cougar and 2 for the shortfin mako.
What do cougar and shortfin mako eat?
The cougar eats mostly hoofed animals such as elk and deer, and smaller animals too. The shortfin mako eats mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid.
Where do cougar and shortfin mako live?
The cougar lives in mountains, forests, grassland and deserts across the Americas, mostly in wild, quiet places. 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, cougar 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/cougar-vs-mako-shark
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Puma concolor (cougar, mountain lion), 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.