SHARK VS SHARK

Bull sharkvsCookiecutter shark

Length, weight and bite evidence—plus context from a human, city bus and blue whale. Every number below carries its uncertainty with it.

LivingCarcharhinus leucas×LivingIsistius brasiliensis
QUICK VERDICT

Bull shark is about 7.1× longer by these reference values.

Bull shark uses a 4 m upper reference, compared with 0.56 m for Cookiecutter shark. Bull shark's weight reference is about 63× heavier.

01

ON THE SAME SCALE

Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.

RELATIVE LENGTH · 0–24 METERS
ABull sharkreported to 4 m / 13 ft
BCookiecutter sharkabout 0.56 m / 22 in
REFAdult human1.8 m · about 80 kg

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.

02

THE NUMBERS

Side by side.

MeasureBull sharkCookiecutter shark
Length referencereported to 4 m / 13 ftabout 0.56 m / 22 in
Weight referencereported to 316.5 kg / 698 lblarge-adult reference about 5 kg / 11 lb
Bite force170–5,914 N across studied sizes and bite pointsModeledNo dependable maximum foundUnknown
HabitatCoasts, estuaries and freshwaterDeep tropical and subtropical oceans
DietFish, rays, turtles and other sharksPlugs of tissue from larger animals plus small prey
03

WHAT THE DATA CAN SAY

Size is not the whole animal.

Length and weight

Bull shark is represented by reported to 4 m / 13 ft; Cookiecutter shark by about 0.56 m / 22 in. The 4 m figure is a reported maximum; typical mature animals are smaller. Weight is a rounded comparison reference.

Bite evidence

Bull shark: The upper value is a theoretical posterior bite for the largest specimen in a 73–285 cm study series—not a universal adult bite. Cookiecutter shark: Bite shape is documented; a comparable force maximum is not.

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 freshwater range is exceptional among large coastal sharks. Its bite removes a round plug; size alone does not predict ecological impact.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Bull sharkHabegger et al. (2012) + Florida MuseumCookiecutter sharkSmithsonian OceanHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →