Animal
Polar bear
The largest bear, at home on Arctic sea ice.
170 cm (5'7")
- Measured
- Shoulder height, on all fours: about 5.6 ft (1.7 m); males may exceed 12 ft (3.7 m) standing on their hind legs.
- Source
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Animals & Plants: Polar Bear · checked 19 September 2026
Compare Polar bear
Beside the average adult and its neighbours, on one scale. Add anything else from the catalog.
Size comparison: Polar bear
5 cm difference (2 in). Average US adult man is taller than Polar bear.
About Polar bear
Polar bear: The largest bear, at home on Arctic sea ice.
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Animals & Plants: Polar Bear gives 170 cm (5'7") (Shoulder height, on all fours: about 5.6 ft (1.7 m); males may exceed 12 ft (3.7 m) standing on their hind legs).
Next to the average US adult man (175 cm (5'9"), CDC), polar bear is 1.03 times shorter: a difference of 5 cm (0'2").
On this page you can put polar bear beside african elephant, bengal tiger, blue whale or anything else in the catalog, all on one scale.
Comparisons
- Human vs Polar Bear — 175 cm (5'9") vs 170 cm (5'7")
Related animals
- African elephant height320 cm (10'6")
- Bengal tiger height320 cm (10'6") long
- Blue whale height33.53 m (110'0") long
- Dromedary camel height180 cm (5'11")
- Giraffe height550 cm (18'1")
- Gorilla height175 cm (5'9")
Browse all animals, or open the Size Comparison board with Polar bear already on it.
Frequently asked questions
How tall is a polar bear?
170 cm (5'7") (Shoulder height, on all fours: about 5.6 ft (1.7 m); males may exceed 12 ft (3.7 m) standing on their hind legs), according to San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Animals & Plants: Polar Bear.
Is a polar bear taller than a person?
No. The average US adult man is 175 cm (5'9") (CDC), so a polar bear at 170 cm (5'7") is 5 cm shorter.
Source
Measurement read from San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Animals & Plants: Polar Bear on 19 September 2026. Shoulder height, on all fours: about 5.6 ft (1.7 m); males may exceed 12 ft (3.7 m) standing on their hind legs. HeightViz draws the figure the source gives and does not measure anything itself; if the source changes, this page is updated from it.
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