🦭 Leopard seal vs Polar bear 🐻❄️
The leopard seal is about twice as long as the polar bear. They are about the same.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦭 Leopard seal | 🐻❄️ Polar bear |
|---|---|---|
| Size The leopard seal is about twice as long as the polar bear. | 9.8 to 12 ft3 to 3.8 m1 | 4.9 ft1.5 m2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight They are about the same. | 661 to 1,100 lb300 to 500 kg1 | 399 to 1,450 lb181 to 658 kg2 |
| Lives They are about the same. | 26 years26 years1 | 25 years25 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | krill, squid and penguins | mostly seals, caught at holes in the sea ice |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | the pack ice around Antarctica and nearby islands | the Arctic, on the sea ice around the North Pole |
Which one? Leopard seal or polar bear
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the leopard seal or the polar bear 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 Polar bear
- The leopard seal: A big spotted seal that lives around the ice of Antarctica.
- The polar bear: The biggest bear, at home on the frozen Arctic sea ice.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are mammals.
- The leopard seal is about twice as long as the polar bear: 1 against 2.
- They are about the same. That is 1 for the leopard seal and 2 for the polar bear.
- They are about the same. Usual lifespans: 1 for the leopard seal and 2 for the polar bear.
- Both eat meat. The leopard seal eats krill, squid and penguins; the polar bear eats mostly seals, caught at holes in the sea ice.
- The leopard seal lives in the pack ice around Antarctica and nearby islands. The polar bear lives in the Arctic, on the sea ice around the North Pole. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The leopard seal: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The polar bear: needs help (Vulnerable 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.
🐻❄️ Polar bear
- Under its white-looking fur, a polar bear's skin is black.
- Each hair is clear and hollow, not white.
- Its huge paws work like paddles and snowshoes.
Questions kids ask about Leopard seal and Polar bear
Which is bigger, leopard seal or polar bear?
The leopard seal is about twice as long as the polar bear: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, leopard seal or polar bear?
They are about the same. That is 1 for the leopard seal and 2 for the polar bear.
Which lives longer, leopard seal or polar bear?
They are about the same. Usual lifespans: 1 for the leopard seal and 2 for the polar bear.
What do leopard seal and polar bear eat?
Both eat meat. The leopard seal eats krill, squid and penguins; the polar bear eats mostly seals, caught at holes in the sea ice.
Where do leopard seal and polar bear live?
The leopard seal lives in the pack ice around Antarctica and nearby islands. The polar bear lives in the Arctic, on the sea ice around the North Pole. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do leopard seals eat polar bears?
The leopard seal eats krill, squid and penguins. Polar bears are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Do polar bears eat leopard seals?
The polar bear eats mostly seals, caught at holes in the sea ice, so seals are on its list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, leopard seal or polar 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/leopard-seal-vs-polar-bear
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Hydrurga leptonyx (leopard seal), checked 10 November 2026.
- National Park Service, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.