🦈 Shortfin mako vs Polar bear 🐻❄️
The shortfin mako is about twice as long as the polar bear. The polar bear weighs about 4 times as much as the shortfin mako.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦈 Shortfin mako | 🐻❄️ Polar bear |
|---|---|---|
| Size The shortfin mako is about twice as long as the polar bear. | 10 to 12 ft3.2 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 The polar bear weighs about 4 times as much as the shortfin mako. | 132 to 298 lb60 to 135 kg1 | 399 to 1,450 lb181 to 658 kg2 |
| Lives The shortfin mako lives a bit longer than the polar bear. | 29 to 32 years29 to 32 years1 | 25 years25 years2 |
| Eats The shortfin mako eats fish; the polar bear eats meat. | mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid | mostly seals, caught at holes in the sea ice |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface | the Arctic, on the sea ice around the North Pole |
Which one? Shortfin mako or polar bear
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the shortfin mako 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 Shortfin mako vs Polar bear
- The shortfin mako: A sleek open-ocean shark that travels far across the sea.
- The polar bear: The biggest bear, at home on the frozen Arctic sea ice.
- They are different kinds of animal. The shortfin mako is a fish, so it breathes with gills; the polar bear is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk.
- The shortfin mako is about twice as long as the polar bear: 1 against 2.
- The polar bear weighs about 4 times as much as the shortfin mako. That is 1 for the shortfin mako and 2 for the polar bear.
- The shortfin mako lives a bit longer than the polar bear. Usual lifespans: 1 for the shortfin mako and 2 for the polar bear.
- The shortfin mako eats mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid. The polar bear eats mostly seals, caught at holes in the sea ice.
- The shortfin mako lives in open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface. 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 shortfin mako: in danger (Endangered on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The polar bear: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🦈 Shortfin mako
- A shortfin mako travels very long distances.
- Females are bigger than males.
- It lives in warm and cool seas around the world.
🐻❄️ 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 Shortfin mako and Polar bear
Which is bigger, shortfin mako or polar bear?
The shortfin mako is about twice as long as the polar bear: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, shortfin mako or polar bear?
The polar bear weighs about 4 times as much as the shortfin mako. That is 1 for the shortfin mako and 2 for the polar bear.
Which lives longer, shortfin mako or polar bear?
The shortfin mako lives a bit longer than the polar bear. Usual lifespans: 1 for the shortfin mako and 2 for the polar bear.
What do shortfin mako and polar bear eat?
The shortfin mako eats mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid. The polar bear eats mostly seals, caught at holes in the sea ice.
Where do shortfin mako and polar bear live?
The shortfin mako lives in open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface. 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 shortfin makos eat polar bears?
The shortfin mako eats mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid. Polar bears are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Do polar bears eat shortfin makos?
The polar bear eats mostly seals, caught at holes in the sea ice. Shortfin makos are not in that list, which comes from its page. And the shortfin mako is about twice as long as the polar bear.
Who would win, shortfin mako 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/mako-shark-vs-polar-bear
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Isurus oxyrinchus (shortfin mako), 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.