🐻 Grizzly bear vs Tiger shark 🦈
The tiger shark is about twice as long as the grizzly bear. The tiger shark weighs about twice as much as the grizzly bear.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐻 Grizzly bear | 🦈 Tiger shark |
|---|---|---|
| Size The tiger shark is about twice as long as the grizzly bear. | 5 to 7 ft1.5 to 2.1 m1 | 11 to 14 ft3.3 to 4.3 m2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the tiger shark yet. | 35 mph56 km/h3 | no checked number yet |
| Weight The tiger shark weighs about twice as much as the grizzly bear. | 243 to 661 lb110 to 300 kg4 | 849 to 1,400 lb385 to 635 kg2 |
| Lives They are about the same. | 25 years25 years4 | 27 years27 years2 |
| Eats The grizzly bear eats plants and animals; the tiger shark eats meat. | roots, berries, grasses, nuts, fish, insects and meat | sea turtles, birds, snakes, crabs, shellfish and dugongs |
| 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 | warm salt water, from shallow reefs to deep water |
Which one? Grizzly bear or tiger shark
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the tiger shark 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 Tiger shark
- The grizzly bear: A big brown bear with a shoulder hump, strong enough to dig.
- The tiger shark: A big striped shark that eats many kinds of sea animals.
- They are different kinds of animal. The grizzly bear is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk; the tiger shark is a fish, so it breathes with gills.
- The tiger shark is about twice as long as the grizzly bear: 2 against 1.
- The tiger shark weighs about twice as much as the grizzly bear. That is 4 for the grizzly bear and 2 for the tiger shark.
- They are about the same. Usual lifespans: 4 for the grizzly bear and 2 for the tiger shark.
- The grizzly bear eats roots, berries, grasses, nuts, fish, insects and meat. The tiger shark eats sea turtles, birds, snakes, crabs, shellfish and dugongs.
- The grizzly bear lives in the mountains and forests of western North America, from Alaska to Wyoming. The tiger shark lives in warm salt water, from shallow reefs to deep water. 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 tiger shark: 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.
🦈 Tiger shark
- A tiger shark eats many kinds of sea animals.
- It lives from shallow reefs to deep water.
- It moves slowly and quietly.
Questions kids ask about Grizzly bear and Tiger shark
Which is bigger, grizzly bear or tiger shark?
The tiger shark is about twice as long as the grizzly bear: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, grizzly bear or tiger shark?
The tiger shark weighs about twice as much as the grizzly bear. That is 4 for the grizzly bear and 2 for the tiger shark.
Which lives longer, grizzly bear or tiger shark?
They are about the same. Usual lifespans: 4 for the grizzly bear and 2 for the tiger shark.
What do grizzly bear and tiger shark eat?
The grizzly bear eats roots, berries, grasses, nuts, fish, insects and meat. The tiger shark eats sea turtles, birds, snakes, crabs, shellfish and dugongs.
Where do grizzly bear and tiger shark live?
The grizzly bear lives in the mountains and forests of western North America, from Alaska to Wyoming. The tiger shark lives in warm salt water, from shallow reefs to deep water. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, grizzly bear or tiger shark?
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-tiger-shark
Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service, Bears (brown bears), checked 30 October 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Galeocerdo cuvier (tiger shark), checked 10 November 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 10 November 2026.