SHARK VS SHARK

Bull sharkvsSand tiger 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×LivingCarcharias taurus
QUICK VERDICT

Bull shark is about 1.25× longer by these reference values.

Bull shark uses a 4 m upper reference, compared with 3.2 m for Sand tiger shark. Bull shark's weight reference is about 1.99× heavier.

01

ON THE SAME SCALE

Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.

RELATIVE LENGTH · 0–24 METERS
ABull sharkreported to 4 m / 13 ft
BSand tiger sharkreported to about 3.2 m / 10.5 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 sharkSand tiger shark
Length referencereported to 4 m / 13 ftreported to about 3.2 m / 10.5 ft
Weight referencereported to 316.5 kg / 698 lbreported to about 159 kg / 350 lb
Bite force170–5,914 N across studied sizes and bite pointsModeledNo dependable maximum foundUnknown
HabitatCoasts, estuaries and freshwaterTemperate and subtropical coasts
DietFish, rays, turtles and other sharksFishes, rays, squid and crustaceans
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; Sand tiger shark by reported to about 3.2 m / 10.5 ft. The 4 m figure is a reported maximum; typical mature animals are smaller. Upper records vary by region and source.

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. Sand tiger shark: A reliable comparable maximum was not found.

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 protruding teeth look dramatic, but appearance alone does not reveal bite force.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Bull sharkHabegger et al. (2012) + Florida MuseumSand tiger sharkFlorida MuseumHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →