SHARK VS SHARK

Common threshervsDwarf lanternshark

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

LivingAlopias vulpinus×LivingEtmopterus perryi
QUICK VERDICT

Common thresher is about 36× longer by these reference values.

Common thresher uses a 7.6 m upper reference, compared with 0.21 m for Dwarf lanternshark. Common thresher's weight reference is about 1700× heavier.

01

ON THE SAME SCALE

Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.

RELATIVE LENGTH · 0–24 METERS
ACommon thresherreported to 7.6 m / 24.9 ft
BDwarf lanternsharkabout 0.21 m / 8.3 in
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.

MeasureCommon thresherDwarf lanternshark
Length referencereported to 7.6 m / 24.9 ftabout 0.21 m / 8.3 in
Weight referencerecorded over 340 kg / 750 lbrough reference about 0.2 kg / 0.4 lb
Bite forceNo dependable maximum foundUnknownNo dependable maximum foundUnknown
HabitatTemperate and tropical open watersDeep Caribbean slopes
DietSchooling fishes and squidSmall crustaceans and fishes
03

WHAT THE DATA CAN SAY

Size is not the whole animal.

Length and weight

Common thresher is represented by reported to 7.6 m / 24.9 ft; Dwarf lanternshark by about 0.21 m / 8.3 in. Length comparisons can exaggerate body bulk because the tail is exceptionally long. Tiny sample sizes make the exact maximum provisional.

Bite evidence

Common thresher: Its hunting performance cannot be reduced to jaw force. Dwarf lanternshark: 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

Much of its length is tail, which it uses to stun prey. One of the smallest known sharks also produces light.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Common thresherFlorida MuseumDwarf lanternsharkSmithsonian OceanHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →