Bears and lions are known to be the most ferocious predators on earth. Interestingly, they do not share scope. Lions live mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, while bears live in North America, Europe and parts of Asia. Still, we wondered what would happen if these two top predators went up against each other in a bear-versus-lion battle.
Since we have no records of such fights in the wild, we’ll have to rely on available data on the two carnivores to determine who is most likely to win. Fortunately, we have all the information we need to make educated hypotheses about which mammal emerged victorious.
Comparing Bears and Lions
| Bear | lion | |
| size | Weight: 60 lbs – 990 lbs Height: 2 feet to 5 feet at the withers, standing up to 9 feet tall. Length: 4.5ft – 9.5ft | Weight: 264 lbs – 550 lbs Length: 4.7ft – 8.2ft |
| speed and movement type | – 25-35 mph | -35 mph (up to 50 mph in very short bursts) – Dash enemies |
| Bite Force and Teeth | – Maximum 1200 PSI bite force – 2-3 inch teeth – Teeth allow the bear to bite, shake and beat. | -650 PSI Bite Force -30 teeth, including up to four 4-inch canines |
| the senses | – Some bears can smell from miles away – Can hear twice as well as humans – Good eyesight, some bears see better at dusk. | – Amazing déjà vu, especially night vision. – Good sense of smell to be able to smell the markings of other lions – Good hearing allows them to hear prey from miles away. |
| defense | – large size – speed of escape – Intense threat display – Ability to travel across land and water – Can climb trees to escape combat | – Take pride in digital security – large size – Can run away from enemies quickly |
| offensive ability | – Cracks bones hard – Sharp claws can tear apart prey – Overwhelms the enemy’s weight – able to stand up and let their weight overwhelm quadrupeds causing them to fall to the ground. | – Sharp claws can tear enemies apart – Claw strikes deliver powerful and surprising blows – A powerful bite can tear bones and tear open prey. |
| predatory behavior | – Ambush predators in some cases, waiting for prey – Opportunistic predators that chase and kill prey – usually ensures the kill with a forceful bite on the throat. | – Mainly stalking and jumping on opponents – Use groups to take down prey |
Key Factors in a Bear and Lion Fight
A bear versus lion fight will come down to several broad factors, such as the physical makeup of each animal and their ability to fight other animals. We’ve prepared a checklist of seven different elements that will come into play in determining which of these animals is most likely to win over the other.
Consider the body parts of bears and lions and the ways they hunt and defeat their prey.
Physical Characteristics of Bears and Lions
Both bears and lions are quadrupeds with many differences in their physical characteristics. We’ve established that elements such as size, strength, and senses will play an important role in helping one person conquer another and become a top predator’s predator.
The Bear and the Lion: Size
Humans have weight classes for combat sports because size and weight play such a role in helping one animal successfully attack another. In the wild, there are no weight classes. Bears can weigh up to 900 pounds or more and can stand 9 feet tall when they stand on two feet, as they often do in battle. The largest bear ever recorded was the polar bear, weighing 2,209 pounds.
Lions can weigh up to 550 pounds and grow up to 8 feet long. The largest lion ever recorded weighed 827 pounds.
In this case, bears gain a size advantage.
The Bear and the Lion: Speed and Movement
Both lions and bears are fast land animals. The sprinting lion can reach speeds of 50 mph in short bursts. A bear can reach the same speed, but it cannot maintain maximum speed like a lion.
The Lions have the advantage in speed.
Bears and Lions: Bite Force and Teeth
Bears and lions rely primarily on bites to deliver fatal blows to their prey. The bear has a powerful 1,200PSI bite force that can drive 3 inches of its teeth into an enemy. Lions have a weak bite at 650PSI, but their canines can be up to 4 inches long!
Bears benefit from bite force as it is almost twice as powerful as lions.
The Bear and the Lion: The Senses
As predators, bears have amazing senses that help them find and kill their prey. Their sense of smell is so well developed that they can sniff out food from miles away. Their hearing is twice as good as humans’, and their vision gets better at dusk, when many other animals are vulnerable.
Lions have amazing eyesight and a good sense of smell at night. They can hear some prey from miles away.
Lions have slightly better senses overall, so they have the sensory advantage.
Bears and Lions: Physical Defense
Bears believe their large size and frightening threat displays are able to keep predators at bay, and they are very successful. They can also increase their speed to evade combat.
Lions can run away from predators with great speed, remain proud, and rely on their threat displays to deter enemies.
All in all, physical defense is a tie for these two animals.
Bear and Lion Fighting Techniques
Having a strong body is only one aspect of being a successful fighter. Experience, attack ability and hunting ability are also important in this predator battle. Think of the fighting skills of a lion and a bear.
Bears and Lions: Offensive Power
Both the bear and the lion deliver the fatal blow with their teeth. Lions can wrap and dig enemies with the claws of their front legs, crushing them under their own weight while biting and clawing at their prey.
Bears can slay enemies with powerful claw strikes, razor-sharp claw scratches, and extremely powerful bites. Both have similar offensive capabilities, but the Bears are much stronger.
The Bears have the edge in terms of offensive ability.
Bears and Lions: Predatory Behavior
Bears are carnivores and use a variety of methods to attack and kill unsuspecting enemies. They wait near the water for prey such as polar bears and seals. Sometimes, they go to feast on prey bottlenecks, such as during a salmon run. Other times, they are opportunistic predators that will kill anything that happens to smell.
Lions are ambush predators, relying on stalking and pouncing on their opponents, weakening them with a decisive bite before killing them. In a protracted battle, they consume their foes with claws, bites, and time.
What is the main difference between a bear and a lion?
Bears are omnivores, weighing over 900 pounds and standing 9 feet tall on two legs in combat, and lions are carnivores, weighing about 500 pounds and reaching 8 feet in length. For the most part, both mammals are top predators in their ranges, and adults rarely fall victim to other mammals.
Other notable differences include the bear’s ability to stand on two legs for short periods of time, and the lion’s extra layer of protection for its neck in the form of a mane.
Who will win in a fight between a bear and a lion?
The bear will win the fight with the lion. The Bears have the advantage in almost every area, from size to offensive ability. The only chance the lion has of winning is if it manages to sneak up on the bear, jump on it and bite its head with such force that it shatters the skill.
A more likely scenario is that the two will become aware of the other’s proximity, causing the enemy to clash. A bear will lift both feet, while a lion will attack the vulnerable belly and legs.
The lion’s initial bite certainly did some damage, but it wasn’t fast enough to get away without being injured. A bear can strike a lion with devastating claws and claws, and then bite, causing serious injury.
The fight may not be over anytime soon, but the lion will take far more damage than it can inflict. In the end, the bear will get hurt but the lion will die. Of course, a pride of lions can certainly beat a pride of bears alone.
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
