# What animals could kill a grizzly bear? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 4, 2015, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622 "2015-06-04T12:56:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622/21 "2015-06-04T17:06:00Z")
An adult Mountain Lion/Cougar/Puma could theoretically kill a Grizzly bear, if it surprised it and it landed on the bear’s back… but it could easily go the other way. Having seen adult Grizzlies up close and personal they are truly formidable creatures, and even a human with a gun may not survive a full-on attack. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622/22 "2015-06-04T17:08:26Z")
> [@gytalf2000](#): > > Yeah, I have heard about that. > > Hmmm. This does make me wonder how well a lion would do against a grizzly… Lions are smaller than tigers, and Roman accounts of lion versus (Bengal) tiger contests almost always had the tiger winning. Siberian tigers are even larger than Bengal tigers. > [@madsircool](#): > > Snakes and bears live in different ecosystems. We have both in Florida. The ranges of various venomous snakes and bears also intersect in the West. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622/23 "2015-06-04T17:11:50Z")
In Montana we have Grizzlies and only a few venomous snakes (rattlesnakes)… ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622/24 "2015-06-04T17:16:37Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Lions are smaller than tigers, and Roman accounts of lion versus (Bengal) tiger contests almost always had the tiger winning. Siberian tigers are even larger than Bengal tigers. > > We have both in Florida. The ranges of various venomous snakes and bears also intersect in the West. Oh, does anyone remember that weird “Python vs. Alligator” pic from a while back? I’m wondering if one of those introduced Burmese pythons would do against a black bear. Ain’t no grizzlies in Florida, except in the zoos… ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622/25 "2015-06-04T17:20:51Z")
> [@gytalf2000](#): > > Oh, does anyone remember that weird “Python vs. Alligator” pic from a while back? I’m wondering if one of those introduced Burmese pythons would do against a black bear. Ain’t no grizzlies in Florida, except in the zoos… A python would get ripped apart. The grizzly’s got 5 pointy ends to it, no way for a python to wrap those all up at once. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622/26 "2015-06-04T17:29:48Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > Having seen adult Grizzlies up close and personal they are truly formidable creatures, and even a human with a gun may not survive a full-on attack. It’s said one should use a .45 caliber, only because of the knock-down power. Just a few bullets only angers the bear, you got to knock him down again and again and again until he dies … Brown Bears of coastal British Columbia, although [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_bear) gives the same sub-species … so it’s more of a racial difference I guess. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622/27 "2015-06-04T18:24:17Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Brown Bears of coastal British Columbia, although [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_bear) gives the same sub-species … so it’s more of a racial difference I guess. They are the same bears. They get bigger and meaner as you go north. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622/28 "2015-06-04T19:25:26Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Or a brontosaurus. I’ll bet a brontosaurus could kill a grizzly. If we can include dinosaurs, I’m going to say a T. Rex. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622/29 "2015-06-04T19:49:06Z")
With the exception of the dinosaurs, I think every other animal listed here would turn heel, run and cower at the sight of a grizzly bear! (I could go either way on the polar bear!) ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622/30 "2015-06-04T19:50:13Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > If we can include dinosaurs, I’m going to say a T. Rex. Godzilla ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622/31 "2015-06-04T20:52:42Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > It’s said one should use a .45 caliber, only because of the knock-down power. Just a few bullets only angers the bear, you got to knock him down again and again and again until he dies … > > Brown Bears of coastal British Columbia, although [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_bear) gives the same sub-species … so it’s more of a racial difference I guess. .45ACP? .45GAP? .45LC? .45-70? .45-90? I wouldn’t recommend any of the first three for bear hunting purposes, unless you really want to know what the inside of a bear’s mouth looks like (look quickly). ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622/32 "2015-06-04T20:58:35Z")
I saw a big black bear on TV go toe to toe with a grizzly and he more than held his own. A big black bear can go up to 800#. They were not fighting to the death as much as a territorial dispute. The black bear kept his spot. ---
**Author:** ![cmdrpiffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b4bc9f/32.png) [@cmdrpiffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmdrpiffle)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622/33 "2015-06-04T21:14:46Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Snakes and bears live in different ecosystems. It’s actually you that lives in a different ecosystem with a comment like that. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622/34 "2015-06-04T21:33:22Z")
Grizzly vs adult male lion? Since both will go on hind legs to get a height advantage, I see that one coming down to whichever is taller when upright. Weaponry is roughly equal It would take a huge tiger to have claws long enough to penetrate bear hide and fur - and it does not have the protective collar an adult male lion has. And - the lion v tiger fight actually played out at the SF zoo many years ago. According to the keeper I talked to, by the time they got them separated, there wasn’t much left of the tiger. The tiger kills by biting the neck - ain’t gonna work on a male lion. The lion just walks up to prey and starts slashing and biting - more stamina. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622/35 "2015-06-04T21:54:28Z")
Lions also kill by biting the neck. The difference is that the tiger tears the throat out of large prey while lions grab and suffocate the prey. Remember, lions are primarily pack hunters. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622/36 "2015-06-04T21:58:32Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > With the exception of the dinosaurs, I think every other animal listed here would turn heel, run and cower at the sight of a grizzly bear! (I could go either way on the polar bear!) [Grizzlies don’t.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grizzly%E2%80%93polar_bear_hybrid) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622/37 "2015-06-04T23:33:21Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Oh, and a wolverine. I’d say a wolverine stands a good shot, just based on attitude. But the 10:1 weight disadvantage might be a problem. So maybe on a good day, if the grizzly was hung over and not at its best, or if they were fighting in crusty snow or some terrain where weight would be a disadvantage. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622/38 "2015-06-04T23:49:32Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > With the exception of the dinosaurs, I think every other animal listed here would turn heel, run and cower at the sight of a grizzly bear! Long ago I saw on a nature show of a bear finding a deer carcass and the wolverine that got there first. I wouldn’t put money on the wolverine winning a death match. It stood it’s ground, attacked, and even pursued the bear when it had backed up. The bear eventually turned heel and left. One meal just wasn’t worth the risk of injury, I guess. Wolverines are mean little buggers. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2015, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622/39 "2015-06-05T00:24:02Z")
‘A bear’ and a grizzly bear are different animals, especially in nature, I think you’ll find. Wolverine and a bear I’m giving a maybe. But wolverine vs grizzly? I’m of the opinion it would never happen as the wolverine would immediately turn heel and be gone. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622/40 "2015-06-05T00:59:07Z")
Just for completeness, it’s worth noting that if you filled a 50 foot deep pit with 20 feet of ants and dropped the bear in, I’d venture to guess that the bear would be killed by the ants. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-could-kill-a-grizzly-bear/721622.md?page=3)