SHARK VS SHARK

Common threshervsGreenland shark

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×LivingSomniosus microcephalus
QUICK VERDICT

Common thresher is about 1.19× longer by these reference values.

Common thresher uses a 7.6 m upper reference, compared with 6.4 m for Greenland shark. Greenland shark's weight reference is about 3.0× 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
BGreenland sharkconfirmed to about 6.4 m / 21 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.

MeasureCommon thresherGreenland shark
Length referencereported to 7.6 m / 24.9 ftconfirmed to about 6.4 m / 21 ft
Weight referencerecorded over 340 kg / 750 lbreported to about 1,023 kg / 2,255 lb
Bite forceNo dependable maximum foundUnknownNo reliable published estimateUnknown
HabitatTemperate and tropical open watersCold North Atlantic and Arctic waters
DietSchooling fishes and squidFish, carrion and marine mammals
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; Greenland shark by confirmed to about 6.4 m / 21 ft. Length comparisons can exaggerate body bulk because the tail is exceptionally long. Age and upper mass involve uncertainty; length is better documented.

Bite evidence

Common thresher: Its hunting performance cannot be reduced to jaw force. Greenland shark: TuffShark found no defensible species-level bite-force estimate to display.

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. The age estimate is extraordinary; a dependable bite-force figure is not available.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Common thresherFlorida MuseumGreenland sharkNOAA Ocean ServiceHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →