🐻 Grizzly bear vs Jaguar 🐆
The grizzly bear and the jaguar are about the same size. The grizzly bear weighs about twice as much as the jaguar.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐻 Grizzly bear | 🐆 Jaguar |
|---|---|---|
| Size They are about the same size. | 5 to 7 ft1.5 to 2.1 m1 | 4.9 to 7.9 ft1.5 to 2.4 m2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the jaguar yet. | 35 mph56 km/h3 | no checked number yet |
| Weight The grizzly bear weighs about twice as much as the jaguar. | 243 to 661 lb110 to 300 kg4 | 79 to 348 lb36 to 158 kg2 |
| Lives The grizzly bear usually lives about twice as long as the jaguar. | 25 years25 years4 | 10 to 15 years10 to 15 years2 |
| Eats The grizzly bear eats plants and animals; the jaguar eats meat. | roots, berries, grasses, nuts, fish, insects and meat | capybaras, deer, fish, turtles and caimans |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | the mountains and forests of western North America, from Alaska to Wyoming | the rainforests and wetlands of Central and South America |
Which one? Grizzly bear or jaguar
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the jaguar 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 Grizzly bear vs Jaguar
- The grizzly bear: A big brown bear with a shoulder hump, strong enough to dig.
- The jaguar: The biggest cat in the Americas, and it loves to swim.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are mammals.
- The grizzly bear and the jaguar are about the same size: 2 against 1.
- The grizzly bear weighs about twice as much as the jaguar. That is 4 for the grizzly bear and 2 for the jaguar.
- The grizzly bear usually lives about twice as long as the jaguar. Usual lifespans: 4 for the grizzly bear and 2 for the jaguar.
- The grizzly bear eats roots, berries, grasses, nuts, fish, insects and meat. The jaguar eats capybaras, deer, fish, turtles and caimans.
- The grizzly bear lives in the mountains and forests of western North America, from Alaska to Wyoming. The jaguar lives in the rainforests and wetlands of Central and South America. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The grizzly bear: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 5
- The jaguar: doing fine, for now (Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List). 6
Wow facts
🐻 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.
🐆 Jaguar
- A jaguar is a strong swimmer and often hunts in rivers.
- Every jaguar has its own pattern of spots.
- Some jaguars are all black, but their spots still show in the sun.
Questions kids ask about Grizzly bear and Jaguar
Which is bigger, grizzly bear or jaguar?
The grizzly bear and the jaguar are about the same size: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, grizzly bear or jaguar?
The grizzly bear weighs about twice as much as the jaguar. That is 4 for the grizzly bear and 2 for the jaguar.
Which lives longer, grizzly bear or jaguar?
The grizzly bear usually lives about twice as long as the jaguar. Usual lifespans: 4 for the grizzly bear and 2 for the jaguar.
What do grizzly bear and jaguar eat?
The grizzly bear eats roots, berries, grasses, nuts, fish, insects and meat. The jaguar eats capybaras, deer, fish, turtles and caimans.
Where do grizzly bear and jaguar live?
The grizzly bear lives in the mountains and forests of western North America, from Alaska to Wyoming. The jaguar lives in the rainforests and wetlands of Central and South America. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, grizzly bear or jaguar?
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/grizzly-bear-vs-jaguar
Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service, Bears (brown bears), checked 30 October 2026.
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Jaguar species profile, 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 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.