Bear vs Hippo: Who Would Win?

An average bear would stand no chance against an average Hippo. The Hippo outweighs the bear by about three times over and has longer canine teeth that are capable of inflicting deep wounds on the bear.

Even if the bear were to successfully fend off an attack, it would only result in the Hippo becoming more aggressive.

As bears are omnivores, they often scavenge for food that others have left behind. However, hippopotamuses are strict herbivores that graze on grasslands and will become very territorial when threatened.

Polar Bear vs Hippo

A polar bear and a hippo would never fight. A polar bear could not survive in a hippo’s habitat, and a hippo could not survive in a polar bear’s habitat.

The hippopotamus is a large, semi-aquatic mammal known as the “river horse” for its love of water.

It spends most of its time in lakes and rivers to keep from drying out in the hot African sun, despite being herbivorous mammals that consume only vegetation.

Male hippos will even fight each other by butting heads, sometimes to the death.

The hippopotamus is also known for its massive jaws and large, sharp teeth (1.5 feet long) that can be deadly weapons when fighting other animals.

The polar bear is a massive carnivore that lives in the Arctic. It will eat animals like whales and fish when it cannot find its favorite food: seal meat.

The polar bear also has a thick layer of fat on its body to keep it warm in its harsh environment.

Polar Bear vs Hippo: Which Animal is Stronger?

The polar bear is one of the most powerful animals on Earth. Its weight ranges from 770 to 1700 pounds. By comparison, a hippo can weigh up to 6,000lbs!

At first glance, an average polar bear would seem more powerful than an average hippo… But looks can be deceiving!

A large male polar bear can reach a height of 5 ft and a length of 8 ft. One swipe of their paw can be lethal to their prey.

Their claws, which are slightly webbed, are about 2.5 inches long.

Hippos are very large, powerful, and territorial animals. They can weigh about three tons (6,000 pounds).

They have a stocky build with short legs, which makes them slower than other herbivores like elephants or rhinoceroses.

Looking at the weight of these two animals the hippo outweighs the polar bear 3 times.

Polar Bear vs Hippo: Who Has Better Weapons?

A polar bear’s main weapon is its strength. A swipe of the paw can kill a human and they’re strong enough to break through a frozen lake.

The fact that their skin is white and it blends in with their environment, makes them more dangerous in white arctic conditions.

Polar Bears also have sharp teeth which they use as secondary weapons. Their primary goal is to kill the prey with their strength.

When necessary, a polar bear can run up to 25 miles per hour over short distances.

Hippos mainly use their large teeth as weapons. Their teeth are about 1.5 ft long and they can kill a polar bear with one bite.

Polar Bear vs Hippo: Who Would Win a Fight?

If there was a fight between a hippo and a polar bear, the battle strategy would be simple: The strongest one wins. The hippo would win due to it being bigger than the polar bear.

Both animals would probably try to intimidate the other as soon as possible.

A polar bear would stand on its back legs and roar, showing off its size and strength.

A hippo would open its mouth and charge at the other animal, hoping to scare them away.

Grizzly Bear vs Hippo

The grizzly bear is a subspecies of brown bear that lives in the U.S., Canada, and Alaska.

They are much bigger than regular American black bears, with males being up to twice as large, even though they are only 10% larger on average.

The typical male weighs around 700 – 1700 lbs, three times lighter than a hippo.

Grizzly Bear vs Hippo: Which Animal is Stronger?

The hippopotamus is strong enough to lift 3-6 tons with its jaws alone, it is much stronger than a grizzly bear. The grizzlies’ jaw strength is about 875 to 1,200 PSI (pounds per square inch), whereas the hippo’s bites are about 1,800 PSI.

The grizzly bear is the second-largest land mammal in North America by its weight, measuring up to 3.5 feet tall when standing on all fours and weighing nearly 1 ton when fully grown.

Hippos have has a massive size advantage over grizzly bears making them much stronger.

The hippopotamus is one of the larges animals that live in Africa, with a length between 3-6 meters long and weighing an average of 3 ½ tons.

Grizzly Bear vs Hippo: Who Has Better Weapons?

Grizzly bears and hippos mostly rely on their jaws to kill prey, but grizzlies also use their paws as weapons.

However, the grizzly bear’s arms are short compared to the hippo’s because the size of its torso is so large.

Since the jaw strength of the grizzly is less than two times stronger than that of a hippopotamus, it would be best for the bear to avoid the bite by either using its paws to defend itself or just running away.

Grizzly Bear vs Hippo: Who Would Win a Fight?

The hippopotamus would win a fight with a grizzly bear due to its ability to deal more damage with each attack and its greater maneuverability in the water.

The hippo is also much larger than the grizzly and with much better weapons than the grizzly.

Making it the clear winner.

Black Bear vs Hippo

Black bears are a common sight in many areas. They prefer to live in heavily forested areas, and in the wild, they feed primarily on plants, fruits, berries, and nuts.

They are also the smallest of the bear family.

Black Bear vs Hippo: Which Animal is Stronger?

A comparison of the stamina shows that a black bear has greater stamina than a hippo.

This is due to several factors including size and temperature regulation.

Black bears are smaller than hippopotamuses and have a more efficient system of heat loss than hippos, whose large size and small surface area to volume ratio slow down the rate of heat dissipation.

The strength of the jaws shows that a hippo’s bite force is much stronger than a black bear’s.

The average hippopotamus has a bite force of around twice the bite force of an American black bear.

Black Bear vs Hippo: Who Has Better Weapons?

The special ability that would give either animal an advantage would be running speed.

A black bear can run faster than a hippo at 35mph.

 While bears do use their claws for defense and to catch prey, they also use them as tools for digging.

The hippopotamus has a good defense in its tough skin which can be up to 2 inches (5 cm) thick on the back, making it impossible for the black bear to penetrate the hippo’s skin due to the black bear’s claw only being 2 inches long.

Hippos’ large teeth are also used against crocodiles by stabbing them behind the head.

Hippos do not typically need weapons for protection because of their size and defense.

Black Bear vs Hippo: Who Would Win a Fight?

The hippopotamus would most likely win in a fight against a black bear because of its larger body mass, stronger bite force, and greater stamina.

A hippo’s skin may be very thick, but it has trouble with overheating, which can be fatal.

Black bears are generally smaller than hippos, but the black bear certainly has the advantage of speed over a hippo.

Black bears are able to run up to 35 miles per hour, so the bear would probably be able to evade the hippo’s attacks.

Additionally, black bears are excellent climbers and would be able to scale a tree if necessary.

Conclusion

The odds are heavily stacked against the poor, unsuspecting bear!

These two animals have different strengths that they use for hunting prey or defending themselves from predators.

A hippo is much bigger than a bear giving them the advantage over any fight.

On the other hand, bears are quite heavy but extremely fast which they will probably use to avoid a bear attack.

This means they can be difficult to catch if a bear would try swimming after them it will usually lead them straight into their jaws.

Stuart

Stuart is the editor of Fauna Facts. He edits our writers’ work as well as contributing his own content. Stuart is passionate about sustainable farming and animal welfare and has written extensively on cows and geese for the site.