SHARK VS SHARK

Common threshervsTiger 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×LivingGaleocerdo cuvier
QUICK VERDICT

Common thresher is about 1.38× longer by these reference values.

Common thresher uses a 7.6 m upper reference, compared with 5.5 m for Tiger shark. Tiger shark's weight reference is about 2.6× 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
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.

MeasureCommon thresherTiger shark
Length referencereported to 7.6 m / 24.9 ftlargest specimens exceed 5.5 m / 18 ft
Weight referencerecorded over 340 kg / 750 lbexceptional estimate over 900 kg / 2,000 lb
Bite forceNo dependable maximum foundUnknownNo dependable maximum foundUnknown
HabitatTemperate and tropical open watersTropical and warm-temperate seas
DietSchooling fishes and squidTurtles, fishes, birds, carrion and more
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; Tiger shark by largest specimens exceed 5.5 m / 18 ft. Length comparisons can exaggerate body bulk because the tail is exceptionally long. Both values describe exceptional animals, not an average adult.

Bite evidence

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

Much of its length is tail, which it uses to stun prey. Its broad diet is real; an exact maximum bite number is not well established.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Common thresherFlorida MuseumTiger sharkFlorida MuseumHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →