Grizzly Bear vs Polar Bear: In a frightening battle between brothers, which of them will claim the throne of the North?
Grizzly Bear
As the second-largest species of bear (the Polar Bear being the largest), the Grizzly Bear is a predatory tank.
A full grown grizzly is said to be as strong as five or six men combined and, at nearly 1,000 psi, its bite force is powerful enough to crush a bowling ball.
Grizzly bears usually fight by biting and by using their powerful bodies to push and overpower their opponents.
In addition, they will use their claws, which are 2-4 inches (5-10 cm) long, to maul prey until it dies.
As the furry Goliath of the wild, the Grizzly Bear is a force of nature on nightmarish levels.
Polar Bear
Polar Bears, also known as Ice Bears, are the largest bears in the world and are the largest of all terrestrial predators. In fact, large females can stand up to 7.8 feet (2.4 meters) on their hind legs, nearly as tall as an Asian Elephant.
Polar Bears are known for being incredibly strong and very aggressive, even more so than their dreaded Grizzly cousins, and will often hunt prey even larger than themselves
These ice monsters have been known to take on or fend off entire packs of wolves and are one of few animals known to actively hunt humans.
So, considering their overwhelming size and fierce personality, it’s no surprise that there are few animals that can hope to stand any chance against the mighty Polar Bear.
Analysis: Grizzly Bear vs Polar Bear
| Stats | Grizzly Bear | Polar Bear |
| Weight | 790 lbs (358 kg) | 1,500 lbs (700 kg) |
| Height (Normal) | 5 ft (1.5m) | 5.3 ft (1.6m) |
| Height (Upright) | 9 ft (2.7m) | 10 ft (3m) |
| Length | 8 ft (2.5m) | 10 ft (3m) |
| Bite force | 975 PSI | 1,200 PSI |
The Polar Bear has obvious size advantage over the Grizzly Bear. A particularly large fully grown male Polar Bear can weigh nearly twice as much as a Grizzly Bear with the same description.
The Polar Bear is also slightly taller, has stronger hind legs, and a stronger bite force than does the Grizzly.
Nonetheless, the Grizzly does have a few advantages over the Polar Bear that might just allow it to gain the upper hand in a fight between the two.
For example, Grizzly Bears are not only more robust than Polar Bears, but they also have stronger front arms, which they use to push and overpower their opponents. Not to mention that they are more aggressive fighters.
Overall, although Polar Bears are much larger and more physically powerful, Grizzly Bears are more built to fight.
So, who would win?
As it turns out, this question isn’t theoretical at all, as such a confrontation actually can occur in the wild.
Surprisingly, despite all of the Polar Bears’ superior physical advantages, it is the Grizzly Bear that has been reported to be the last one standing every time.
To be fair, however, there really isn’t much of a fight to be won, because when the more brazen Grizzly Bear shows up, the more mild Polar Bear retreats. So, the question of who would win in a real fight still remains.
Although the Grizzly’s greater aggression may make it succeed in scaring off his much larger counterpart, this does not necessarily mean he would actually win in a fight to the death or even until a retreat, if the Polar Bear decides to stand his ground.
As mentioned earlier, the brown bear is overall more built to fight, which can definitely come in handy, but it won’t ensure a victory against a foe as large as the Ice Bear.
Grizzly Bears fight by using their strong arms to overpower their adversaries and by biting them with their powerful jaws. However, not only do Polar Bears have stronger jaws, but they are also much taller and will likely be out of reach for the Grizzly’s wrestling tactics.
Conclusion
In the wild, Grizzly Bears have proven to be the kingpin of the North by frightening even the great, yet relatively mild, Polar Bear.
Nevertheless, should the Ice Bear decide to stand his ground and fight, his greater size and power is likely to provide victory over the smaller Grizzly in the majority of their matches.