SHARK VS SHARK

Bull sharkvsTiger 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×LivingGaleocerdo cuvier
QUICK VERDICT

Tiger shark is about 1.38× longer by these reference values.

Tiger shark uses a 5.5 m upper reference, compared with 4 m for Bull shark. Tiger shark's weight reference is about 2.8× heavier.

01

ON THE SAME SCALE

Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.

RELATIVE LENGTH · 0–24 METERS
ABull sharkreported to 4 m / 13 ft
BTiger sharklargest specimens exceed 5.5 m / 18 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 sharkTiger shark
Length referencereported to 4 m / 13 ftlargest specimens exceed 5.5 m / 18 ft
Weight referencereported to 316.5 kg / 698 lbexceptional estimate over 900 kg / 2,000 lb
Bite force170–5,914 N across studied sizes and bite pointsModeledNo dependable maximum foundUnknown
HabitatCoasts, estuaries and freshwaterTropical and warm-temperate seas
DietFish, rays, turtles and other sharksTurtles, fishes, birds, carrion and more
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; Tiger shark by largest specimens exceed 5.5 m / 18 ft. The 4 m figure is a reported maximum; typical mature animals are smaller. Both values describe exceptional animals, not an average adult.

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. Tiger shark: Popular figures are often repeated without a traceable species-level method.

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 broad diet is real; an exact maximum bite number is not well established.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

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