🦭 Leopard seal vs Shortfin mako 🦈
The leopard seal and the shortfin mako are about the same size. The leopard seal weighs about 4 times as much as the shortfin mako.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦭 Leopard seal | 🦈 Shortfin mako |
|---|---|---|
| Size They are about the same size. | 9.8 to 12 ft3 to 3.8 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 leopard seal weighs about 4 times as much as the shortfin mako. | 661 to 1,100 lb300 to 500 kg1 | 132 to 298 lb60 to 135 kg2 |
| Lives The shortfin mako lives a bit longer than the leopard seal. | 26 years26 years1 | 29 to 32 years29 to 32 years2 |
| Eats The leopard seal eats meat; the shortfin mako eats fish. | krill, squid and penguins | mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | the pack ice around Antarctica and nearby islands | open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface |
Which one? Leopard seal or shortfin mako
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the leopard seal 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 Leopard seal vs Shortfin mako
- The leopard seal: A big spotted seal that lives around the ice of Antarctica.
- The shortfin mako: A sleek open-ocean shark that travels far across the sea.
- They are different kinds of animal. The leopard seal 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 leopard seal and the shortfin mako are about the same size: 2 against 1.
- The leopard seal weighs about 4 times as much as the shortfin mako. That is 1 for the leopard seal and 2 for the shortfin mako.
- The shortfin mako lives a bit longer than the leopard seal. Usual lifespans: 1 for the leopard seal and 2 for the shortfin mako.
- The leopard seal eats krill, squid and penguins. The shortfin mako eats mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid.
- The leopard seal lives in the pack ice around Antarctica and nearby islands. The shortfin mako lives in open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The leopard seal: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The shortfin mako: in danger (Endangered on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🦭 Leopard seal
- A leopard seal strains krill from the water with its teeth.
- Female leopard seals are bigger than males.
- It lives in the pack ice around Antarctica.
🦈 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 Leopard seal and Shortfin mako
Which is bigger, leopard seal or shortfin mako?
The leopard seal and the shortfin mako are about the same size: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, leopard seal or shortfin mako?
The leopard seal weighs about 4 times as much as the shortfin mako. That is 1 for the leopard seal and 2 for the shortfin mako.
Which lives longer, leopard seal or shortfin mako?
The shortfin mako lives a bit longer than the leopard seal. Usual lifespans: 1 for the leopard seal and 2 for the shortfin mako.
What do leopard seal and shortfin mako eat?
The leopard seal eats krill, squid and penguins. The shortfin mako eats mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid.
Where do leopard seal and shortfin mako live?
The leopard seal lives in the pack ice around Antarctica and nearby islands. The shortfin mako lives in open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do leopard seals eat shortfin makos?
The leopard seal eats krill, squid and penguins. Shortfin makos are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Do shortfin makos eat leopard seals?
The shortfin mako eats mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid. Leopard seals are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, leopard seal or shortfin mako?
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/leopard-seal-vs-mako-shark
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Hydrurga leptonyx (leopard seal), 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.