SHARK VS SHARK

Epaulette sharkvsHorn 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×LivingHeterodontus francisci
QUICK VERDICT

Horn shark is about 1.14× longer by these reference values.

Horn shark uses a 1.22 m upper reference, compared with 1.07 m for Epaulette shark. Horn shark's weight reference is about 3.3× 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
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.

MeasureEpaulette sharkHorn shark
Length referencereported to 1.07 m / 3.5 ftreported to 1.22 m / 4 ft
Weight referencelarge-adult reference about 3 kg / 6.6 lblarge-adult reference about 10 kg / 22 lb
Bite forceNo dependable maximum foundUnknown128–338 N theoretical, depending on tooth positionModeled
HabitatShallow coral reefs of Australia and New GuineaRocky eastern Pacific reefs
DietWorms, crustaceans and small fishesUrchins, crabs and mollusks
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; Horn shark by reported to 1.22 m / 4 ft. Mass varies strongly with size and is shown only as a reference. Weight is a rounded adult reference.

Bite evidence

Epaulette shark: No standardized maximum is used. Horn shark: Experiments also measured bites; the displayed range is the study's theoretical maximum from front to rear teeth.

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. Its rear teeth crush hard prey, and its bite mechanics have been tested directly and modeled.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Epaulette sharkAustralian MuseumHorn sharkHuber et al. (2005)How we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →