Expert: Jonathan Wright - 2/18/2008

Question
I've been looking at site after site trying to find definite information regarding which is the largest bear in the world, and also heaviest:  Kodiak or Polar bears.  The problem is that, even after going to many websites, many of them of official institutions of one kind or another, the answers that I read from one site to the next to not remain consistent.

That is, one site will say that Polar bears are the heaviest while Kodiaks are the largest...another will say that Kodiaks are heaviest and Polar bears are the largest, yet another will say they're both the same...the fact of the matter is, I have no idea what to believe.  Can a definite answer on this be given?

Answer
Dear James

Thanks for your question. I also wish to thank the authors of the books and websites I used.

As you say, it can be difficult to define the word 'largest'. Some people use body length, while others use weight. You also need to know if you are talking about the largest individual or if you are comparing the average sizes of the two types of bear. If you compare individuals, it is beter to use wild animals, rather than zoo animals. This is because zoo animals can become overweight. The problem with choosing wild animals is how to accurately measure them. There is also the problem that hunters prefer to kill larger individuals, so the average size and the size of the largest individuals may fall with time.

Mark Carwardine's 'Natural History Museum Animal Records' says that the largest bear is the polar bear. An adult male can typicaly weigh 400-600 kg and can be 2.4-2.6 m long. The largest bear on record stood 3.4 m tall and weighed 1002 kg. The Kodiak bear is shorter than the polar bear, but is more robust. Males weigh 475-530 kg and are 1.7-2.8 m long. The largest Kodiak bear lived at Cheyenne Mountain Springs Zoo and weighed 757 kg. Using these criteria, the polar bear is a bit larger than the Kodiak bear.

http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/bear.html says the polar bear is larger. It says the polar bear has an average weight of 900-1,500 lb, while the brown bear is 500-900 lb. The largest polar bear weighed 2,210 lb, while the largest brown bear weighed 2,500 lb. A mature male polar bear is 8-8.4 ft long, while a brown bear is 7-10 ft long. I'd guess that the higher readings for the brown bear refer to the Kodiak bear, but they suggest it is larger than a polar bear.

http://www.extremescience.com/PolarBear.htm says that the polar bear is larger. The largest Kodiak bear weighed 745 kg.

http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/large... says the polar bear is larger. The largest polar bear weighed 1002 kilograms (2,210 lb) and stood 11 feet 11 inches high. The largest Kodiak bear weighed over 2,500 pounds and was almost 14 feet tall. Once again the largest Kodiak bear was larger than the largest polar bear.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/polar-bears/ and http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_largest_bear_in_the_world say the polar bear is larger.

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/6932 is a discussion group, which generally says the polar bear is larger than the Kodiak bear.

http://www.deltana.com/hunting/bear_hunting_photos_recent.htm says the Alaskan brown bear is the largest bear.

I must admit that when I read your question, I thought that the Kodiak bear was the largest bear. In fact, I'd read this 'fact' several times. I think there is some confusion about comparing polar bears and brown bears, rather than Kodiak bears. I also think that some of the websites are confusing by saying that a polar bear is larger than a Kodiak bear, but then giving higher figures for the length and weight of a Kodiak bear.

It seems that the jury is out on this one. The polar bear is the largest species of bear, but some individual Kodiak bears can be larger than polar bears, as regards weight and length.

I'm sorry if this is confusing.

All the best

Jonathan