Basking shark is about 9.8× longer by these reference values.
Basking shark uses a 12 m upper reference, compared with 1.22 m for Horn shark. Basking shark's weight reference is about 600× heavier.
ON THE SAME SCALE
Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.
Length bars use upper comparison values and do not show body depth, tail proportion or typical adult size. A long thresher tail, for example, does not equal whale-shark body mass.
THE NUMBERS
Side by side.
WHAT THE DATA CAN SAY
Size is not the whole animal.
Length and weight
Basking shark is represented by reported to 12 m / 40 ft; Horn shark by reported to 1.22 m / 4 ft. The upper length is exceptional; the mass is a rounded comparison estimate. Weight is a rounded adult reference.
Bite evidence
Basking shark: A comparable maximum-bite study is not available for this filter feeder. Horn shark: Experiments also measured bites; the displayed range is the study's theoretical maximum from front to rear teeth.
Living versus extinct
Both species are living, but record-sized individuals are rare. These upper references should not be read as normal adult size.
Ecology changes the matchup
Its enormous mouth strains plankton; it is not built for a giant predatory bite. Its rear teeth crush hard prey, and its bite mechanics have been tested directly and modeled.
TRACE THE CLAIMS