SHARK VS SHARK

Bull sharkvsGreenland 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×LivingSomniosus microcephalus
QUICK VERDICT

Greenland shark is about 1.60× longer by these reference values.

Greenland shark uses a 6.4 m upper reference, compared with 4 m for Bull shark. Greenland shark's weight reference is about 3.2× heavier.

01

ON THE SAME SCALE

Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.

RELATIVE LENGTH · 0–24 METERS
ABull sharkreported to 4 m / 13 ft
BGreenland sharkconfirmed to about 6.4 m / 21 ft
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 sharkGreenland shark
Length referencereported to 4 m / 13 ftconfirmed to about 6.4 m / 21 ft
Weight referencereported to 316.5 kg / 698 lbreported to about 1,023 kg / 2,255 lb
Bite force170–5,914 N across studied sizes and bite pointsModeledNo reliable published estimateUnknown
HabitatCoasts, estuaries and freshwaterCold North Atlantic and Arctic waters
DietFish, rays, turtles and other sharksFish, carrion and marine mammals
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; Greenland shark by confirmed to about 6.4 m / 21 ft. The 4 m figure is a reported maximum; typical mature animals are smaller. Age and upper mass involve uncertainty; length is better documented.

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. Greenland shark: TuffShark found no defensible species-level bite-force estimate to display.

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. The age estimate is extraordinary; a dependable bite-force figure is not available.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Bull sharkHabegger et al. (2012) + Florida MuseumGreenland sharkNOAA Ocean ServiceHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →