SHARK VS SHARK

Epaulette sharkvsGreenland shark

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

LivingHemiscyllium ocellatum×LivingSomniosus microcephalus
QUICK VERDICT

Greenland shark is about 6.0× longer by these reference values.

Greenland shark uses a 6.4 m upper reference, compared with 1.07 m for Epaulette shark. Greenland shark's weight reference is about 341× heavier.

01

ON THE SAME SCALE

Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.

RELATIVE LENGTH · 0–24 METERS
AEpaulette sharkreported to 1.07 m / 3.5 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.

MeasureEpaulette sharkGreenland shark
Length referencereported to 1.07 m / 3.5 ftconfirmed to about 6.4 m / 21 ft
Weight referencelarge-adult reference about 3 kg / 6.6 lbreported to about 1,023 kg / 2,255 lb
Bite forceNo dependable maximum foundUnknownNo reliable published estimateUnknown
HabitatShallow coral reefs of Australia and New GuineaCold North Atlantic and Arctic waters
DietWorms, crustaceans and small fishesFish, carrion and marine mammals
03

WHAT THE DATA CAN SAY

Size is not the whole animal.

Length and weight

Epaulette shark is represented by reported to 1.07 m / 3.5 ft; Greenland shark by confirmed to about 6.4 m / 21 ft. Mass varies strongly with size and is shown only as a reference. Age and upper mass involve uncertainty; length is better documented.

Bite evidence

Epaulette shark: No standardized maximum is used. 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

It can use its fins to walk across reef flats and tolerate low oxygen. The age estimate is extraordinary; a dependable bite-force figure is not available.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Epaulette sharkAustralian MuseumGreenland sharkNOAA Ocean ServiceHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →