SHARK VS SHARK

CladoselachevsHorn shark

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

ExtinctCladoselache fyleri×LivingHeterodontus francisci
QUICK VERDICT

Cladoselache is about 1.48× longer by these reference values.

Cladoselache uses a 1.8 m upper reference, compared with 1.22 m for Horn shark. A clean mass ratio is not shown because at least one weight is not reliably reconstructed.

01

ON THE SAME SCALE

Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.

RELATIVE LENGTH · 0–24 METERS
ACladoselacheabout 1.8 m / 6 ft
BHorn sharkreported to 1.22 m / 4 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.

MeasureCladoselacheHorn shark
Length referenceabout 1.8 m / 6 ftreported to 1.22 m / 4 ft
Weight referenceNot reliably reconstructedlarge-adult reference about 10 kg / 22 lb
Bite forceNo defensible estimate usedUnknown128–338 N theoretical, depending on tooth positionModeled
Timeabout 370 million years agoRocky eastern Pacific reefs
DietSmall fishesUrchins, crabs and mollusks
03

WHAT THE DATA CAN SAY

Size is not the whole animal.

Length and weight

Cladoselache is represented by about 1.8 m / 6 ft; Horn shark by reported to 1.22 m / 4 ft. Calling it a modern-style shark hides major evolutionary distance. Weight is a rounded adult reference.

Bite evidence

Cladoselache: No usable maximum-force model exists. Horn shark: Experiments also measured bites; the displayed range is the study's theoretical maximum from front to rear teeth.

Living versus extinct

At least one animal is known from fossils. Fossil length, weight and bite estimates depend on which living analogues and scaling equations researchers choose.

Ecology changes the matchup

It was an early shark-like chondrichthyan with a streamlined body. Its rear teeth crush hard prey, and its bite mechanics have been tested directly and modeled.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

CladoselacheSmithsonian National Museum of Natural HistoryHorn sharkHuber et al. (2005)How we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →