American Pit Bull Terrier
Canis familiaris
#182 of 341 
Forest Grappler Domesticated 
FightPhoto: https://www.flickr.com/people/geoggirl/ · CC BY 2.0
The American Pit Bull Terrier is a muscular 23 kg bulldog-terrier breed made to grip and hold. It fights with a committed catch-and-shake bite and remarkable persistence, which makes it formidable against dogs of its size, but its small frame and thin coat leave it far below wolves, big guardian dogs and every large predator in absolute power.
Attack47 
Defense34 
Agility66 
Stamina63 
Intelligence58 
Special50 Detailed ratings
Research-backed ratings on one 0–100 scale for all 341 animals (updated 2026-09-28). How ratings work
Special abilities
Ability 1Catch-Dog GripTakes hold and keeps holding while pushing and pulling, the job the UKC standard says the breed must be built to do. In a matchup it can pin and wear down an opponent of similar size, but it also locks the dog into close contact.
Ability 2Game PersistenceA bred tendency to keep fighting while injured and not break off, rooted in its dog-fighting history. It raises Ferocity and Toughness but does not add armor or raw power.
Unique traits
TraitBulldog-Terrier BuildA medium, smooth-coated dog with a wide, deep lower jaw, prominent cheek muscles and thick thighs, bred from bulldog and terrier crosses to combine strength with agility.
TraitMost-Regulated Breed TypeThe target of breed-specific legislation in many countries, while the "pit bull" label itself is applied so inconsistently that DNA tests often disagree with it.
How it fights
Weapons
- The APBT's weapon is the canid bite used as a catch-and-hold. The UKC standard says the dog "must have the functional capability to be a catch dog that can hold, wrestle (push and pull), and breathe easily while doing its job". Its style is to close, take a grip, and then shake, push and pull while holding. Farmers used APBTs as catch dogs for semi-wild cattle and hogs, which means gripping and holding animals much heavier than itself until handlers arrive.
Struggles vs
- Small absolute mass; large carnivores and ungulates outweigh it many times over.
- Short single coat with no protection over the neck and limbs.
- Grip-and-hold style commits it to close contact and leaves little room to disengage.
- Its short single coat gives little insulation in severe cold.
- No measured speed or bite data to support the viral claims made about it.
- Weight
- 23 kg51 lb
- Height
- 50 cm19.7 in
- Length
- 53 cm20.9 in
- Top speed
- No reliable measurement
- Bite force
- No reliable measurement
- Lifespan
- 12 years
- Home biome
- Forest
- Lifestyle
- Social
Rated specimen: Healthy adult male in good working condition, 23.0 kg, 50.0 cm at the withers.
Fun facts
- The UKC registered the American Pit Bull Terrier in 1898, but the American Kennel Club has never recognized it.
- Its UKC standard says it is "not the best choice for a guard dog" because it is so friendly with strangers.
- The "locking jaw" is a myth: holding on is behavior, not a special joint.
- APBTs compete in weight pulling, dock jumping, lure coursing and French Ring sport.
- In 1996 the San Francisco SPCA tried to rename pit bull terriers "St. Francis Terriers" to counter their fighting reputation.
- In a study of 120 shelter dogs, staff labelled 52% "pit bull-type", but DNA tests confirmed only 21%.
Closest rivals by power. Tap one for the full breakdown, or pick any opponent.
vs GibbonLoses · 50% · Toss-up 
L vs LlamaLoses · 50% · Toss-up 
L vs WarthogLoses · 50% · Toss-up 
L vs BobcatWins · 50% · Toss-up 
W vs Ethiopian WolfLoses · 50% · Toss-up 
L vs Maned WolfLoses · 50% · Toss-up 
L vs TapirLoses · 50% · Toss-up 
L vs ServalLoses · 51% · Toss-up 
L 
Pick any opponent American Pit Bull Terrier battle analysis
The American Pit Bull Terrier comes from 19th-century British crosses between bulldogs and terriers, made to combine the bulldog's strength with the terrier's drive. After bull-baiting was outlawed in 1835, these dogs were pitted against each other, and immigrants brought them to North America, where the United Kennel Club registered the breed in 1898. A fit male weighs about 23 kg and stands about 50 cm tall, with a wide, deep jaw and thick, well-muscled thighs.
Its fighting method is simple: close in, take a grip and hold. The UKC standard says the breed must be able to catch, hold, push and pull while breathing easily, the job farmers used it for on semi-wild cattle and hogs. That grip, backed by a bred tendency to keep going when hurt, is why the breed is feared in dog fights. But there is no "locking jaw", and the viral bite-force numbers trace back to a television demonstration, not a study.
On the absolute scale, the APBT sits among the medium wild canids. It is heavier and more committed than a coyote or dingo, roughly level with an African wild dog in attack, and clearly below the 50 kg Kangal, Rottweiler and Gray Wolf. Against big cats, bears or large hoofed animals its grip does not make up for being several times smaller, and its short coat gives no protection against teeth or claws.
Habitat & range
A domestic breed kept as a companion and working dog, mostly in North America but also elsewhere. It lives in homes and on farms. Twelve European countries, Australia, Canada, parts of the United States and several other countries restrict or ban pit bull-type dogs.
Diet & hunting
Fed by its owners on commercial dog food, meat and household scraps. It does not hunt for a living, though catch dogs are used on hogs and cattle.
Social life
Strongly bonded to its people and generally friendly toward strangers, according to the UKC standard. Many individuals are intolerant of other dogs, so they are often kept as single dogs or carefully managed with other pets.
Conservation
Not applicable as a wild species; it is a Domesticated breed.
Quick answers
How strong is an American Pit Bull Terrier?
On the Animal Battle Stats scale, the American Pit Bull Terrier has an attack rating of 47 and a power index of 50.1 out of 100, which ranks it #182 of 341 animals and puts it in C tier (Capable). Its strongest stat is agility (66).
How much does an American Pit Bull Terrier weigh?
A typical adult American Pit Bull Terrier weighs about 23 kg (51 lb). Rated specimen: healthy adult male in good working condition, 23.0 kg, 50.0 cm at the withers.
How fast is an American Pit Bull Terrier?
There is no reliable measured top speed for the American Pit Bull Terrier, so we do not publish one. Its agility rating, which covers acceleration, reflexes and evasion, is 66 out of 100.
What does an American Pit Bull Terrier eat?
Fed by its owners on commercial dog food, meat and household scraps. It does not hunt for a living, though catch dogs are used on hogs and cattle.
Is the American Pit Bull Terrier endangered?
The American Pit Bull Terrier's conservation status is Domesticated. Not applicable as a wild species; it is a Domesticated breed.
What animals can beat an American Pit Bull Terrier?
Among its closest rivals, the Gibbon (50%), the Llama (50%), the Warthog (50%), the Ethiopian Wolf (50%), the Maned Wolf (50%), the Tapir (50%), the Serval (51%) would be favored against the American Pit Bull Terrier. It would be favored against the Bobcat.
Researched 2026-09-28. Ratings are editorial judgments built from these sources; measurements describe a healthy adult male.
- United Kennel Club, American Pit Bull Terrier standardsize, build, catch-dog function, temperament
- Wikipedia, American Pit Bull Terriersize summary, history, lifespan, legislation
- Wikipedia, Pit bulllocking-jaw myth, TV bite figure context
- Wikipedia, German Shepherd (bite and jaw force section)television bite figures
- Sacks et al. (2000), JAVMA, Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks 1979–1998human-attack statistics
- Patronek et al. (2013), JAVMA, 256 dog bite-related fatalities 2000–2009breed identification caveat
- Olson et al. (2015), Veterinary Journal, Inconsistent identification of pit bull-type dogslabel reliability
- Lindner et al. (1995), Measurement of bite force in dogs: a pilot studydog bite force context
- Ellis et al. (2008), Journal of Anatomydog bite force context
- Hebdon et al. (2025), Science Advances, Dog skull shape and performance specializationskull shape of bite-work breeds
Photo: “000 American Pit Bull Terrier.jpg” by https://www.flickr.com/people/geoggirl/, CC BY 2.0, background removed and cropped. Original
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