🐾 Spotted hyena vs Tiger 🐅
The tiger is about one and a half times as long as the spotted hyena. The tiger weighs about twice as much as the spotted hyena.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐾 Spotted hyena | 🐅 Tiger |
|---|---|---|
| Size The tiger is about one and a half times as long as the spotted hyena. | 4.1 to 6.1 ft1.3 to 1.9 m1 | 7.2 to 9.8 ft2.2 to 3 m2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the tiger yet. | 37 mph60 km/h1 | no checked number yet |
| Weight The tiger weighs about twice as much as the spotted hyena. | 99 to 154 lb45 to 70 kg1 | 249 to 375 lb113 to 170 kg2 |
| Lives The spotted hyena lives a bit longer than the tiger. | 20 years20 years1 | 15 years15 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | land animals that have a backbone | deer and wild pigs |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | open, dry places across Africa south of the Sahara, from semi-desert to savanna and mountain forest | forests and grasslands of Asia, from India to the far east of Russia |
Which one? Spotted hyena or tiger
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the tiger 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 Spotted hyena vs Tiger
- The spotted hyena: A strong African animal with a spotted coat and a sloping back.
- The tiger: The biggest wild cat, with stripes that hide it in tall grass.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are mammals.
- The tiger is about one and a half times as long as the spotted hyena: 2 against 1.
- The tiger weighs about twice as much as the spotted hyena. That is 1 for the spotted hyena and 2 for the tiger.
- The spotted hyena lives a bit longer than the tiger. Usual lifespans: 1 for the spotted hyena and 2 for the tiger.
- Both eat meat. The spotted hyena eats land animals that have a backbone; the tiger eats deer and wild pigs.
- The spotted hyena lives in open, dry places across Africa south of the Sahara, from semi-desert to savanna and mountain forest. The tiger lives in forests and grasslands of Asia, from India to the far east of Russia. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The spotted hyena: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The tiger: in danger (Endangered on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🐾 Spotted hyena
- A spotted hyena can run fast over a long way.
- It lives in savanna, semi-desert and mountain forest.
- It also cleans up what other animals leave.
🐅 Tiger
- No two tigers have the same stripes.
- Tigers love water and are strong swimmers.
- A tiger's stripes are on its skin too, not just its fur.
Questions kids ask about Spotted hyena and Tiger
Which is bigger, spotted hyena or tiger?
The tiger is about one and a half times as long as the spotted hyena: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, spotted hyena or tiger?
The tiger weighs about twice as much as the spotted hyena. That is 1 for the spotted hyena and 2 for the tiger.
Which lives longer, spotted hyena or tiger?
The spotted hyena lives a bit longer than the tiger. Usual lifespans: 1 for the spotted hyena and 2 for the tiger.
What do spotted hyena and tiger eat?
Both eat meat. The spotted hyena eats land animals that have a backbone; the tiger eats deer and wild pigs.
Where do spotted hyena and tiger live?
The spotted hyena lives in open, dry places across Africa south of the Sahara, from semi-desert to savanna and mountain forest. The tiger lives in forests and grasslands of Asia, from India to the far east of Russia. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, spotted hyena or tiger?
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/spotted-hyena-vs-tiger
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Crocuta crocuta (spotted hyena), checked 10 November 2026.
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Register 2010 (tiger delisting petition 90-day finding), checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.