SHARK VS SHARK

Bull sharkvsBluntnose sixgill

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×LivingHexanchus griseus
QUICK VERDICT

Bluntnose sixgill is about 1.20× longer by these reference values.

Bluntnose sixgill uses a 4.8 m upper reference, compared with 4 m for Bull shark. Bluntnose sixgill's weight reference is about 1.86× heavier.

01

ON THE SAME SCALE

Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.

RELATIVE LENGTH · 0–24 METERS
ABull sharkreported to 4 m / 13 ft
BBluntnose sixgillreported to 4.8 m / 15.8 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 sharkBluntnose sixgill
Length referencereported to 4 m / 13 ftreported to 4.8 m / 15.8 ft
Weight referencereported to 316.5 kg / 698 lbpublished to 590 kg / 1,300 lb
Bite force170–5,914 N across studied sizes and bite pointsModeledNo dependable maximum foundUnknown
HabitatCoasts, estuaries and freshwaterDeep temperate and tropical waters
DietFish, rays, turtles and other sharksFishes, rays, seals and carrion
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; Bluntnose sixgill by reported to 4.8 m / 15.8 ft. The 4 m figure is a reported maximum; typical mature animals are smaller. Deepwater sampling is difficult, so upper records are sparse.

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. Bluntnose sixgill: No standardized maximum is available.

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 six gill slits mark an ancient branch of shark diversity.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Bull sharkHabegger et al. (2012) + Florida MuseumBluntnose sixgillFlorida MuseumHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →