Great white shark
Carcharodon carcharias- Length
- about 6 m / 20 ft
- Weight
- reported to about 2,268 kg / 5,000 lb
- Bite
- about 18,000 N
THE COMPARISON LAB
Pick two sharks.
See the difference.
Compare living sharks and fossil giants by size, weight, habitat, diet and bite evidence. Start with a popular matchup or build your own.
26living species
7extinct species
24selected guides
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Popular matchups.
Useful contrasts across size, ecology and the fossil record.
LIVING SHARKSGreat white sharkvsGreat hammerhead6 m · 6.1 m →LIVING SHARKSBasking sharkvsWhale shark12 m · 12.2 m →LIVING SHARKSGreat white sharkvsWhale shark6 m · 12.2 m →LIVING SHARKSGreenland sharkvsPacific sleeper shark6.4 m · 7 m →LIVING SHARKSBull sharkvsShortfin mako4 m · 4.45 m →LIVING SHARKSLemon sharkvsNurse shark3 m · 3.08 m →
THE DATASET
Living and extinct.
Length and weight are reference values, not typical adult measurements. Unknown bite forces remain explicitly unknown.
Living sharks
Bull shark
Carcharhinus leucas- Length
- reported to 4 m / 13 ft
- Weight
- reported to 316.5 kg / 698 lb
- Bite
- 170–5,914 N across studied sizes and bite points
Greenland shark
Somniosus microcephalus- Length
- confirmed to about 6.4 m / 21 ft
- Weight
- reported to about 1,023 kg / 2,255 lb
- Bite
- No reliable published estimate
Whale shark
Rhincodon typus- Length
- well documented near 12.2 m / 40 ft
- Weight
- large-animal estimate about 21,000 kg / 46,000 lb
- Bite
- Not meaningfully established
Tiger shark
Galeocerdo cuvier- Length
- largest specimens exceed 5.5 m / 18 ft
- Weight
- exceptional estimate over 900 kg / 2,000 lb
- Bite
- No dependable maximum found
Great hammerhead
Sphyrna mokarran- Length
- reported to 6.1 m / 20 ft
- Weight
- recorded to about 450 kg / 991 lb
- Bite
- No dependable maximum found
Basking shark
Cetorhinus maximus- Length
- reported to 12 m / 40 ft
- Weight
- large-animal estimate about 6,000 kg / 13,200 lb
- Bite
- Not meaningfully established
Shortfin mako
Isurus oxyrinchus- Length
- reported to about 4.45 m / 14.6 ft
- Weight
- recorded to about 570 kg / 1,257 lb
- Bite
- No dependable maximum found
Oceanic whitetip
Carcharhinus longimanus- Length
- reported to 4 m / 13 ft
- Weight
- recorded to 167.4 kg / 369 lb
- Bite
- No dependable maximum found
Blue shark
Prionace glauca- Length
- about 3.8 m / 12.5 ft
- Weight
- reported near 206 kg / 454 lb
- Bite
- No dependable maximum found
Lemon shark
Negaprion brevirostris- Length
- commonly to 3 m / 10 ft
- Weight
- reported to 250 kg / 551 lb
- Bite
- No dependable maximum found
Sand tiger shark
Carcharias taurus- Length
- reported to about 3.2 m / 10.5 ft
- Weight
- reported to about 159 kg / 350 lb
- Bite
- No dependable maximum found
Common thresher
Alopias vulpinus- Length
- reported to 7.6 m / 24.9 ft
- Weight
- recorded over 340 kg / 750 lb
- Bite
- No dependable maximum found
Bluntnose sixgill
Hexanchus griseus- Length
- reported to 4.8 m / 15.8 ft
- Weight
- published to 590 kg / 1,300 lb
- Bite
- No dependable maximum found
Megamouth shark
Megachasma pelagios- Length
- reported to about 7.1 m / 23 ft
- Weight
- reported near 1,215 kg / 2,679 lb
- Bite
- Not meaningfully established
Goblin shark
Mitsukurina owstoni- Length
- photo-based estimates to 5.4–6.17 m / 18–20 ft
- Weight
- large specimen reported near 210 kg / 463 lb
- Bite
- No dependable maximum found
Nurse shark
Ginglymostoma cirratum- Length
- recorded to 3.08 m / 10.1 ft
- Weight
- large-adult reference about 110 kg / 243 lb
- Bite
- No dependable maximum found
Blacktip reef shark
Carcharhinus melanopterus- Length
- recorded to 1.8 m / 5.9 ft
- Weight
- large-adult reference about 24 kg / 53 lb
- Bite
- No dependable maximum found
Whitetip reef shark
Triaenodon obesus- Length
- reported to 2.13 m / 7 ft
- Weight
- reported near 18.3 kg / 40 lb
- Bite
- No dependable maximum found
Zebra shark
Stegostoma tigrinum- Length
- reported to 3.54 m / 11.6 ft
- Weight
- large-adult reference about 35 kg / 77 lb
- Bite
- No dependable maximum found
Epaulette shark
Hemiscyllium ocellatum- Length
- reported to 1.07 m / 3.5 ft
- Weight
- large-adult reference about 3 kg / 6.6 lb
- Bite
- No dependable maximum found
Cookiecutter shark
Isistius brasiliensis- Length
- about 0.56 m / 22 in
- Weight
- large-adult reference about 5 kg / 11 lb
- Bite
- No dependable maximum found
Dwarf lanternshark
Etmopterus perryi- Length
- about 0.21 m / 8.3 in
- Weight
- rough reference about 0.2 kg / 0.4 lb
- Bite
- No dependable maximum found
Pacific sleeper shark
Somniosus pacificus- Length
- reported near 7 m / 23 ft
- Weight
- large-animal estimate about 907 kg / 2,000 lb
- Bite
- No dependable maximum found
Frilled shark
Chlamydoselachus anguineus- Length
- about 2 m / 6.6 ft
- Weight
- large-adult reference about 15 kg / 33 lb
- Bite
- No dependable maximum found
Horn shark
Heterodontus francisci- Length
- reported to 1.22 m / 4 ft
- Weight
- large-adult reference about 10 kg / 22 lb
- Bite
- 128–338 N theoretical, depending on tooth position
Extinct sharks and shark-line relatives
Megalodon
Otodus megalodon- Length
- evidence-based upper estimate 14.1–15.3 m / 46–50 ft
- Weight
- modeled reference around 48,000 kg / 53 tons
- Bite
- modeled range about 108,514–182,201 N
Cretoxyrhina
Cretoxyrhina mantelli- Length
- estimated to about 7 m / 23 ft
- Weight
- Not reliably reconstructed
- Bite
- No defensible estimate used
Otodus obliquus
Otodus obliquus- Length
- estimated to about 9.1 m / 30 ft
- Weight
- Not reliably reconstructed
- Bite
- No defensible estimate used
Ptychodus
Ptychodus mortoni- Length
- recent reconstructions approach 9.7 m / 32 ft
- Weight
- Not reliably reconstructed
- Bite
- No defensible estimate used
Squalicorax
Squalicorax pristodontus- Length
- estimated to about 5 m / 16 ft
- Weight
- Not reliably reconstructed
- Bite
- No defensible estimate used
Cladoselache
Cladoselache fyleri- Length
- about 1.8 m / 6 ft
- Weight
- Not reliably reconstructed
- Bite
- No defensible estimate used
Hybodus
Hybodus hauffianus- Length
- about 2.5 m / 8.2 ft
- Weight
- Not reliably reconstructed
- Bite
- No defensible estimate used
EDITORIAL COLLECTION
24 comparisons worth opening.
The interactive builder can produce any matchup. This smaller collection highlights contrasts people actually look for and is the only comparison set included in the sitemap.
FOSSIL INCLUDEDGreat white shark vs Megalodon6 m · 15.3 m →FOSSIL INCLUDEDWhale shark vs Megalodon12.2 m · 15.3 m →LIVING PAIRGreat white shark vs Tiger shark6 m · 5.5 m →LIVING PAIRGreat white shark vs Bull shark6 m · 4 m →LIVING PAIRBull shark vs Tiger shark4 m · 5.5 m →LIVING PAIRBull shark vs Great hammerhead4 m · 6.1 m →LIVING PAIRGreat white shark vs Great hammerhead6 m · 6.1 m →LIVING PAIRGreat white shark vs Shortfin mako6 m · 4.45 m →LIVING PAIRBasking shark vs Whale shark12 m · 12.2 m →FOSSIL INCLUDEDBasking shark vs Megalodon12 m · 15.3 m →FOSSIL INCLUDEDDwarf lanternshark vs Megalodon0.21 m · 15.3 m →LIVING PAIRGreat white shark vs Greenland shark6 m · 6.4 m →LIVING PAIRGreat white shark vs Oceanic whitetip6 m · 4 m →LIVING PAIRGreat white shark vs Common thresher6 m · 7.6 m →LIVING PAIRWhale shark vs Megamouth shark12.2 m · 7.1 m →LIVING PAIRGreat white shark vs Whale shark6 m · 12.2 m →FOSSIL INCLUDEDMegalodon vs Cretoxyrhina15.3 m · 7 m →FOSSIL INCLUDEDMegalodon vs Otodus obliquus15.3 m · 9.1 m →FOSSIL INCLUDEDMegalodon vs Ptychodus15.3 m · 9.7 m →LIVING PAIRGreat white shark vs Goblin shark6 m · 6.17 m →LIVING PAIRGreenland shark vs Pacific sleeper shark6.4 m · 7 m →LIVING PAIRBull shark vs Shortfin mako4 m · 4.45 m →LIVING PAIRLemon shark vs Nurse shark3 m · 3.08 m →LIVING PAIRBlacktip reef shark vs Whitetip reef shark1.8 m · 2.13 m →