When most people think about bears, their first thought is either their strength or size. Almost never is the bear’s speed anything that comes to mind. However, bears can run extremely fast, and long. In this article, I will go through different types of bears and how fast every one of them can run.
Bears’ top speed is between 20 to 35mph (32 to 56km/h) depending on what type of bear, where the slowest bear is the panda and sloth bear at 20mph and the fastest are black bears at 35mph. However, bears can’t usually maintain their max speed for more than 45 yards (41m).
| Bear | Speed | Weight male | Weight female |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polar Bear | 25mph (40kmh) | 992lbs (450kg) | 440lbs (200kg) |
| Panda | 20mph (32kmh) | 250lbs (113kg) | 155-220lbs (70-120kg) |
| Brown Bear | 22mph (35kmh) | 1500lbs (680kg) | 440lbs (200kg) |
| Black Bear | 35mph (56kmh) | 130-660lbs (60-300kg) | 90-175lbs (40-80kg) |
| Sloth Bear | 20mph (32kmh) | 200-300lbs (90-140kg) | 176-320lbs (80-145kg) |
| Asian Black Bear | 25mph (40kmh) | 298lbs (135kg) | 88-276lbs (40-125kg) |
| Spectacled Bear | 30mph (48kmh) | 220-440lbs (100-200kg) | 140-180lbs (64-82kg) |
Is it possible to outrun a bear?
It isn’t possible to outrun a bear, since they beat us both in short distances as well as long distances. Their acceleration is far greater than ours and it wouldn’t take long for them to catch up to you. Male’s average running speed is 8mph and women’s is 6.5 mph. Usain Bolt’s world record measured him up to an average of 23.35mph, which still wouldn’t last him very long.
If you have a headstart of 100 meters and a black bear would start running after you, – it would take about 8 seconds before the bear catches up to you.
Can the fastest man alive outrun a bear?
At the time of writing this, the world’s fastest man is Usain Bolt with a world record in 2009 of 9.58 seconds at 100m. Meaning he would average 23.35mph. However, not even Usain Bolt could keep that pace for long, and yet, that would only beat a few of the bear’s pace. Sure, Bolt would win a 100m race against a panda and sloth bear but would have a hard time fleeing from all bears for some time. Read what the most common reasons why bears attack humans are here.
Can a bike outrun a bear?
Average humans can bike at 10-14 mph, while professionals are up to 45 mph. However, these numbers are with the best conditions on a flat road, and not biking in the woods where you most likely are to find bears. Yet, not with a mountain bike on a bumpy road with roots, rocks, crevices, and turning roads. A professional biker may outrun a bear if the conditions were optimal and the chase wasn’t in the forest. An average person would instead have a better chance of using the bike as a weapon or utensil to frighten the bear.
Speed comparison between species
Can a horse outrun a bear?
Horses can outrun a bear in a long run, however, bears have much greater acceleration than horses and would have no problem winning over a horse in a short distance. Although, a horse’s top speed is 55mph, and has much greater stamina than a bear the horse would outlast the bear in distance.
Can a dog outrun a bear?
A dog may and may not outrun a bear, since the breed has a huge impact on the dog’s speed. While a greyhound has a top speed of 72 km/h and a corgi at 40km/h, it can’t be said whether a dog can outrun a bear or not without specifying the dog’s breed.
The most common dog breeds in the US and their running speeds
| Breed | Speed |
|---|---|
| Labrador Retriever | 20-30 mph |
| French Bulldog | 17mph |
| German Shepherd | 30mph |
| Golden Retriever | 35mph |
| English Bulldog | 15mph |
| Poodle | 30mph |
| Beagle | 20mph |
| Rottweiler | 18-25mph |
The most common hunting dog breeds in the US and their running speeds
| Breed | Speed |
|---|---|
| Labrador Retriever | 20-30 mph |
| Golden Retriever | 35 mph |
| Beagle | 20 mph |
| Irish Setter | 30 mph |
| Bloodhound | 36 mph |
| Weimaraner | 35 mph |
| German Shorthaired Pointer | 30 mph |
Can a cat outrun a bear?
It’s unlikely a bear would attack your housecat. There are some reasons behind this that I find pretty interesting.
- The biggest reason a bear would attack a housecat is if the cat would threaten the bear or their cubs, which would be highly unlikely.
- Your housecat and the bear will notice each other’s scent and keep a distance from each other as well. If your cat has a bell on its collar it will also scare off bears.
- Another reason is that bears actually are afraid of cats. Large wild cats have been known to attack bears and win.
If a bear would run after a housecat, the chance would be pretty slim of them catching it. Cat’s speed can go up to 30mph, and they are superior to bears in short distances, as well as in agility when climbing trees. However, the biggest chance the bear would try to escape the cat, regardless of the size of the feline.
Can a deer outrun a bear?
Although bear’s diet mainly consists of plant-based materials, they are still omnivores and eat other animals from time to time. Deer can run up to 37 to 50mph which is faster than the quickest bear (35mph). However, bears have a greater acceleration than deer and could sneak up on an unknowing deer. Although, very unlikely since bears aren’t known for their stealthiness.
What is the fastest bear?
The fastest bear is the black bear. At 35mph (56km/h) they are superior to other bear species. The brown bear weighs (1500lbs) more than twice as much as the black bear, which results in a huge force of power if they would run after something and attack it. Thankfully, most of a black bear’s diet consists of plant-based foods like berries, fruit, and sedges. Only 30% of their diet contains meat, and included in that are insects and larvae in logs from fallen trees.
What is the slowest bear?
The slowest bear when it comes to a combination of running and walking is the sloth bear, also known as the honey bear. Despite their names, they aren’t related to the sloths you are familiar with. They actually got their name from European zoologist George Shaw, who got their name from their long claws and unusual teeth. However, in the same way, sloths hang upside down on branches, even the sloth bears do. The sloth bears aren’t found in the US and are instead native to India, Sri Lanka, and southern Nepal. Their running speed is 20mph and would catch up to you after only 8 seconds if you had a 100m lead.
How long would it take for a bear to catch up to you?
If you see a bear in the wild and it starts charging you, it may be natural to start running away. However, according to U.S National Park Service, the safest way when being charged by a bear is to stay your ground. Make yourself as big as possible and wave your arms. That said, it might be fun to know how fast bears are and how much time it would take for them to catch up to you.
Table displaying how much time it would take for a brown bear to catch up to different things:
| Usain Bolt | Wouldn’t catch up |
| Horse | Wouldn’t catch up |
| Dog | Wouldn’t catch up |
| Male | 15.7 seconds |
| Female | 14.4 seconds |
| Bike | 24 seconds |
Table displaying how much time it would take for a black bear to catch up to different things:
| Usain Bolt | Wouldn’t catch up |
| Horse | Wouldn’t catch up |
| Dog | 45 seconds |
| Male | 8.2 seconds |
| Female | 7.8 seconds |
| Bike | 10 seconds |
Table displaying how much time it would take for a panda bear to catch up to different things:
| Usain Bolt | Wouldn’t catch up |
| Horse | Wouldn’t catch up |
| Dog | Wouldn’t catch up |
| Male | 18 seconds |
| Female | 16.4 seconds |
| Bike | 30 seconds |
Table displaying how much time it would take for a spectacled bear to catch up to different things:
| Usain Bolt | Wouldn’t catch up |
| Horse | Wouldn’t catch up |
| Dog | Wouldn’t catch up |
| Male | 10 seconds |
| Female | 9.5 seconds |
| Bike | 12.9 seconds |
Table displaying how much time it would take for an Asian black bear to catch up to different things:
| Usain Bolt | Wouldn’t catch up |
| Horse | Wouldn’t catch up |
| Dog | Wouldn’t catch up |
| Male | 12.9 seconds |
| Female | 12 seconds |
| Bike | 18 seconds |
Table displaying how much time it would take for a sloth bear to catch up to different things:
| Usain Bolt | Wouldn’t catch up |
| Horse | Wouldn’t catch up |
| Dog | Wouldn’t catch up |
| Male | 18 seconds |
| Female | 16.4 seconds |
| Bike | 30 seconds |
Table displaying how much time it would take for a Polar bear to catch up to different things:
| Usain Bolt | Wouldn’t catch up |
| Horse | Wouldn’t catch up |
| Dog | Wouldn’t catch up |
| Male | 12.9 seconds |
| Female | 12 seconds |
| Bike | 18 seconds |
🐻 These numbers are only valid if Usain, a horse, and a dog never would get tired. Bears will catch up to Usain Bolt soon enough, but since it is hard to calculate when he will be fatigued it can’t be shown in a table.
What makes a bear run fast?
The key behind the tremendous speeds a bear can make is their back legs. Bears have longer hind legs than front legs while having enormous strength in them. As well as sharp claws on all four paws helping them to get good friction when moving.
How long can a bear run?
Bears have great stamina for someone being their size. According to a study made in Yellowstone during the 1930s, bears can maintain speeds of 25 mph for as long as 2miles. Long-distance runners or even the fastest man alive wouldn’t be able to keep up that pace for so long.
Can bears run downhill?
There’s an old myth bears aren’t able to run down a hill. The myth has been crushed multiple times, yet it comes up from time to time as a fun fact. If you get chased by a bear, you wouldn’t gain any leap from running downhill. Bears can outrun you regardless of slope.
