Honey badger vs grizzly Bear: who would be the winner and why?
Honey badgers and grizzly bears are very notorious for their toughness and aggressiveness. You can say these mammals are among the toughest and the most fearless creatures on earth. Indeed, there is no match between a single honey badger and a bear. In this case, a bear could easily beat the honey badger. However, a pack of honey badgers could easily challenge the bear.
In this article, we are going to dissect this fight and will let you know what would happen or who could be the ultimate winner in this fight. In the end, you will know if the strength of the honey badger is enough to overpower the tenacity of the grizzly bear.
Contents
Key differences between a grizzly bear and a honey badger
The main difference between a honey badger and a grizzly bear is in their attacking method and size. Bear is 4 feet tall, 7 feet long and weighs anywhere around 700 pounds. On average, the honey badger is 2.5 feet tall, 1 foot long, and weighs anywhere around 35 pounds.
Honey badgers mainly attack from their teeth while the grizzly bear utilizes multifaceted ways to attack like biting, shaking, smacking, and mauling. It means honey badgers have fewer means of attack while grizzly bears have a variety of options to attack.
There are also some other factors like speed, attack power, and creativity that play a very significant role in overpowering your opponent. We are going to discuss all of these factors one by one.
| Features | Grizzly bear | Honey badger |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Length: 7 to 10 feet Height: 3 to 4 feet Weight: 700 to 1000 pounds | Length: 2.5 feet Height: 9 to 11 inches Weight: 10 to 40 pounds |
| Speed | 35 mph | 19 mph |
| Defense mechanism | Large body with layers of fur, fat, and skin, fast speed | Thick skin, agility, easily hide, unleash a strong smell. |
| Offensive capabilities | 975 PSI bite force, 3-inch canine teeth, big paws for smashing, | High bite force, powerful jaws, and claws, well-aimed bites. |
| Predatory behavior | Use their senses for hunting prey, and ambush preys. | Can chase down their prey even in very narrow spaces, very daring predators. |
Size: Grizzly bear vs honey badger
By having first glance, you can easily analyze that the size of the grizzly bear is much larger than the size of the honey badger. On average, the grizzly bear is 7 feet long and 3 to 4 feet tall. While honey badger is 1 foot tall and 2.5 feet tall. It means the bear has more length than height while the honey badger has more length than height.
When it comes to weight, the weight of grizzly bears lies between 700 to 1000 pounds while honey badger has very low weight which lies between 11 to 40 pounds. Overall, we can say the grizzly bear has an advantage over the honey badger when it comes to weight and size.
Defense mechanism: honey badger vs Grizzly bear
Honey badgers are quite good in terms of defense mechanisms because the body of honey badger has been naturally designed in such a way that it is extremely difficult for other animals to penetrate their skin and it is also very flexible. It has also been said that the skin of the honey badger is bulletproof.
However, some loose points are still available on their body and Achilles heals of a honey badger. Honey badger also releases some special musk on their attacker to keep them away or as a warning sign. They could also fit into very narrow spaces which is greatly helpful in hunting down small mammals.
On the other hand, grizzly bears are also very large and strong. They also come with several layers of protection in their bodies in the form of fat, fur, and skin. They also come with a variety of attack methods. They could also run very fast. It is incredibly hard to attack and kill bears. Overall, the grizzly bear has an advantage over the honey badger in this aspect.
Also, Read Honey Badger vs Mongoose article here.
Speed: honey badger vs Grizzly bear
Bear is many times faster than honey badger when it comes to speed. On average, honey badgers can run at a maximum speed of 19 mph while grizzly bears can run at a maximum speed of 35 mph. It seems like the speed of the bear is almost double the speed of the honey badger. Grizzly bears could also beat deer in the foot race and latterly kill them and eat them. It means bears have a clear edge over honey badgers when it comes to speed.
Predatory behavior: badger vs bear
Badgers are very fierce predators. They go behind the prey wherever it goes. Badgers could even pursue them in very narrow spaces. Badgers could also dig for pulling out underground prey or they might attack their homes. On the other hand, bears don’t hunt regularly. They are part-time hunters and only attack their prey when they find an opportunity to attack them. When they find an opportunity, they run behind their prey and ultimately maul them to death. Thus, the honey badger has an edge over the bear in predatory behavior.
Offensive capabilities: honey badger vs Grizzly bear
Honey badgers come with very powerful bite force and sheer aggression. They mainly attack the weak points of their opponents and don’t like to do much of a fight. On the other hand, grizzly bears have an extraordinary and powerful bite force which could be measured as 975 PSI.
They have 3-inch canines and 1-inch extra teeth which they all utilize together while grasping their prey at the weak points. Bears are powerful enough that they could easily break vertebrae and all the other bones of the prey with just a single attack.
These grizzly bears also utilize their paws and claws for gashing and smacking the skull of their prey. The claws of the bear might not be sharp enough but bears put all their attacking methods in a single attempt. Thus, grizzly bears have a clear edge over honey badgers when it comes to offensive capabilities.
See our article for Honey Badger vs komodo dragon.
Grizzly bear vs a pack of honey badgers: who would be the ultimate winner?
In simple words, a grizzly bear could win a fight even against a pack of honey badgers. If there are five honey badgers in the pack and they together on the bear to overpower the ferocity of the grizzly bear, they could overpower the highly powerful teeth, claws, jaws, and body weight of the bear. Bear could easily handle the honey badger by just giving a final blow to the badger on their back or head by using their teeth bite force. Source.
On the hand, honey badgers even in combined form could not do enough that they could kill or overpower a very large and strong bear in a single attack. They could not target the eyes or jugular veins of the bear which are its weak points. Honey badgers might try to threaten or intimidate the bear with their combined force but the bear would ultimately go through them with its mauling attack.
Honey badgers might release their special musk through their anal glands to pause the attack of the bear but it would not work for a longer period and they could not win a decisive battle against the bear by just spreading this bad odor. In the end, if honey badgers try to run away from the fight then the bear might overpower them with its much faster speed individually and kill them. It means if the fight happens between a pack of honey badgers and a bear, the bear would be the ultimate winner and honey badgers would lose this fight.
Frequently asked questions
Conclusion
Honey badgers might be very famous for their fearlessness, toughness, and flexibility but they could not withstand the blows of a bear. We have proved this by comparing both of these animals based on their several features and properties. Honey badgers might have an edge over grizzly bears in one to two features but overall bears are much more powerful than honey badgers in most aspects. By going through this article, you can clarify your obsession with them.
