How Strong is a Kodiak Bear Compared to Other Bears? There are eight different species of bears in the world, and many more subspecies. And every single species and subspecies is a bear that you don’t want to tangle with. Bears are massive creatures with immense strength. Their appearance and demeanor strikes fear into the hearts of any animals smaller than them, which most animals will be. Bears possess great strength, and one excellent example of this, is the powerful Kodiak Bear. Kodiak Bears are enormous, muscular, hefty creatures. But how strong are they compared to other bears? Kodiak Bears Let’s meet a Kodiak Bear first and learn a little more about them. As we mentioned before, there are eight different species of bears in the world. One of them is the Brown Bear. Kodiak Bears are a subspecies of Brown Bear. Kodiak Bears got their name because of the specific region that they inhabit. There are Brown Bears all over the world and many in North America, but in southwest Alaska, strictly found on the islands of the Kodiak Archipelago, that is where Kodiak Bears live. The rule for brown bears, including Grizzlies, is that the bears living farther inland are the smaller ones and the ones closer to the coast are the bigger ones. Well, our Kodiak Bears live on islands, they’re surrounded by coast. And they’re huge. Brown Bears in general vary in size, usually between 250 to 800 pounds. But the Kodiak Bear is a perfect example of a term called “island gigantism.” This means that animals isolated on islands grow to be much larger than their relatives living elsewhere. Kodiak Bears easily weigh over 600 pounds, that’s their bare minimum. They often even reach weights of up to 1,400 pounds. They far exceed the sizes of other Brown Bears, and they even give polar bears a good run for their money. Polar Bears are the world’s largest bear and land carnivore, but the Kodiak Bear is not far behind. In fact, depending on which Polar Bear and which Kodiak Bear we’re talking about, the Kodiak may very well be larger. Kodiaks will typically be around eight feet long and stand four and a half feet tall at the shoulder. Their hind feet can even reach 18 inches long! Kodiak Bears have strong skeletons and thick layers of muscles. This gives them their immense strength, allowing them to dig with ease. It also allows them to run fast, swim efficiently, and climb steep hills quickly. They are big, hulking animals and it has been measured that a Kodiak Bear can essentially “bench press” 5,000 pounds. And you want to talk about those jaws of theirs? Kodiak Bears have been recorded as having a bite force of 1,250 PSI. That’s a bite that you don’t want to feel, whether you’re a person, or another bear. And that strength, is it unmatched? Or do any other bears have anything to say about all of this? American Black Bears Let’s meet another bear native to the United States, the American Black Bear. The American Black Bear is the most widely distributed bear on the continent, also being found all over Canada as well. For their size, they have large paws, usually between 5.5 to 9 inches long. The typical length of a Black Bear is between four to six and a half feet long and they stand about three and a half feet tall at the shoulder. They’re not as big as Kodiak Bears or really any Brown Bears, but their weight tends to be between 120 and 550 pounds. For their size, they’re extremely strong. A Black Bear that was only 120 pounds had been seen flipping rocks over that weighed over 300 pounds by pushing them with just one foreleg. They’re also dexterous, able to open screw top lids and climb trees. They’re said to be able to lift over 300 pounds per claw, but it’s still nowhere near our 5,000-pound bench pressing Kodiak. Kodiak Bears are three to four times the size of Black Bears on average, and they’re about three to four times as strong too. American Black Bears better not ever make their way to Kodiak Island, a Kodiak Bear would likely toss them right back off the island. Giant Pandas This animal’s status was up for debate for a while. Scientists argued over whether the Panda was a bear or something else. Many claimed it was most closely related to racoons. But eventually, the Giant Panda was declared a species of bear. Pandas may look cuddly and easygoing, but don’t mistake their looks for them not having power. We’ve seen videos of people sitting too close to the cage of a Panda in a zoo and the Panda just latching onto the person’s clothing and flinging them around like a rag doll. Giant Pandas grow to be somewhere between four feet and six feet long and they’ll weigh 220 to 260 pounds. Have you ever seen a Panda climb a tree? That is because they are extremely muscular, especially in their forelimbs. Pandas also have a strong bite force surprisingly, especially for their size. They have a high BFQ, or Bite Force Quotient, which refers to the power of the animal’s bite relative to its size. Their BFQ is over 150, and if we’re talking about just how powerful those jaws are, their bite force is 291 PSI at the canine teeth and 408 PSI at the carnassial teeth. When you look at the fact that they don’t even weigh more than 300 pounds, that’s impressive. But it’s still no match for our Kodiak that weighs well over 1,000 pounds and bites at 1,250 PSI. The Panda isn’t the cuddly creature we all make them about to be, but if they stood next to a Kodiak Bear, they sure would look like a teddy bear. Lucky for them they’re all the way in China, and nowhere near Alaska. Ussuri Brown Bears As we mentioned, Kodiak Bears are a subspecies of Brown Bear. Another subspecies is the Ussuri Brown Bear which lives in Europe and Asia, with large populations spread across Russia. The Ussuri Brown Bear is an omnivore like other bears, but its diet leans even more towards the vegetarian side. But don’t let that make you think that Ussuri Brown Bears are not large and powerful. They are one of the larger subspecies of Brown Bears. They typically will be three to five feet tall at the shoulder and five to seven feet long. The males will usually range between 500 to 1,000 pounds, but they’ve been known to get up to 1,300 pounds. Ussuri Brown Bears live in the same regions as tigers, so there are plenty of times in which the two battle. In many instances, the Ussuri Brown Bear will defeat the tiger, people have even witnessed them “strangling” the tiger. Their bite force is right around 1,000 PSI. And even though the biggest Ussuri Brown Bears can come close to Kodiaks, they still don’t rival that island gigantism size. And their bite force falls short to the Kodiak by a few hundred pounds per square inch. Defeating a tiger is impressive, but an Ussuri Brown Bear wouldn’t defeat a Kodiak. Sun Bears One of the more unique looking bears is the Sun Bear. Sun Bears live in Southeast Asia, found in tropical forests, swamplands, and montane forests. Sun Bears are a little taller than two feet at the shoulder and will be about four to five feet long. They can weigh up to 150 pounds, and as you may be figuring right now, they are the smallest of all the bear species. However, that doesn’t mean you, a human, would want to battle a Sun Bear. They still possess great strength, as is shown by their ability to skillfully climb trees. They’re extremely agile and move in a way that almost looks human or ape-like. They have sharp, four-inch claws and for their size have an incredible bite, strong enough to tear through tree bark to get at the insects they desire. They also have the longest tongue of any bear species, measuring 8 to 10 inches long! But no matter if they have the longest tongue, they’re still the smallest bear, and they would be no match for a Kodiak. A Kodiak would be anywhere from 10-15 times the size of a Sun Bear. Luckily, Alaska’s Kodiak Islands aren't well known for the sun… so the Sun Bear will stay away. Andean Bears The Andean Bear is also known as the Spectacled Bear and not only is the only bear native to South America it is also the only remaining species in the short-faced bear family. The Andean Bear inhabits the areas of South America’s Andes Mountains and is the largest land carnivore in that area of the world. However, only around 5% of it’s diet is actually meat. They’re usually four to six and a half feet long and can weigh up to 440 pounds. The Andean Bear is a strong and muscular bear, another bear that is able to climb trees with ease. They’ve been found 80 feet high in the canopy. Their well-developed muscles also make them excellent swimmers and runners, they can run at speeds of 30 miles per hour. And they have powerful jaws and wide molars that allow them to chew through tree bark. However, due to the fact they’re mainly herbivorous, they just don’t need the bite force strength that a Kodiak has. Their bite doesn’t compare. And they're about ⅓ to ¼ the size of a Kodiak. Are we ever going to find a bear that rivals the size of a Kodiak Bear? Grizzly Bears The Grizzly Bear, also native to North America. For a while, people thought Kodiak Bears were the same as Grizzly Bears, but they were eventually separated into distinct subspecies. Grizzly Bears are one of the largest subspecies of Brown Bear, and as the rule goes, they’re larger the closer they are to the coast. For instance, male Grizzlies that live in inland Canada will likely be a little over 300 pounds, where the Grizzlies that live on the coast in the Alaskan peninsula, they exceed 850 pounds easily. That is the area where Grizzly Bears tend to be the largest. They also range between six and a half feet to eight feet long. They are some of the strongest and most lethal animals roaming the Earth. They can lift 1,100 pounds, which in almost every case, is more than they weigh! Their bite force has been measured at 1,150 PSI, which is enough to crush a bowling ball, or split a human body in half! As scary as all of that sounds, it gets scarier when you move east from the Alaskan Peninsula, across the Gulf of Alaska, and arrive on Kodiak Island. Because the Grizzly’s 1,150 PSI bite force is no match for the Kodiak’s 1,250 PSI bite force. And an 850-pound Grizzly is scary, but a Kodiak weighs over 1,000 pounds without even trying. If a Kodiak were a type of Grizzly, it would be the strongest Grizzly alive. But it is its own subspecies. So, is there any species or subspecies of bear that can rival the strength of the Kodiak Bear? Polar Bears Now, we’ve reached the bear that is on average, the largest bear on the planet, the polar bear. Adult male polar bears are between eight and 10 feet long, and they’re five feet tall at the shoulder. Their average weight is between 1,200 and 1,500 pounds! That’s how you earn the spot of largest bear alive, and also, largest land carnivore alive. Polar Bears are also built tough and rugged like an all-terrain vehicle. Due to the harsh temperatures they live in, the bleak terrains they endure, they have to withstand a lot. They have a lot of that weight to help keep them warm, but they are also built strong and muscular. They need to be able to chase down prey, whether on ice or in the water. And when you look at the bite force of the species of Polar Bear compared to the species of Brown Bear, or any other bear, it is the strongest bite force. 1,200 PSI, that’s even more than lions and tigers… Polar Bears, oh my! But we know when you look at specific subspecies, it differs. Like the Grizzly having it’s 1,150 PSI bite force, and oh yeah, the Kodiak Bear and its 1,250 PSI bite force. See, the Polar Bear has the strongest bite force of any species of bear, but when you take into account subspecies, it’s the Kodiak Bear with the strongest bite. And Polar Bears tend to be larger on average, but there are plenty of instances when a Kodiak Bear is larger. The two have matched feats of strength. It’s actually quite close, perhaps too close to call. It all depends on the particular Kodiak Bear and the particular Polar Bear. Polar Bears tend to be larger, but if we have a Kodiak Bear of comparable size, they have such strong skeletal systems and thick muscle structures, a Kodiak Bear could very well overpower a Polar Bear. That would be a battle that could go either way.