SHARK VS SHARK

Epaulette sharkvsNurse 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×LivingGinglymostoma cirratum
QUICK VERDICT

Nurse shark is about 2.9× longer by these reference values.

Nurse shark uses a 3.08 m upper reference, compared with 1.07 m for Epaulette shark. Nurse shark's weight reference is about 37× 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
BNurse sharkrecorded to 3.08 m / 10.1 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 sharkNurse shark
Length referencereported to 1.07 m / 3.5 ftrecorded to 3.08 m / 10.1 ft
Weight referencelarge-adult reference about 3 kg / 6.6 lblarge-adult reference about 110 kg / 243 lb
Bite forceNo dependable maximum foundUnknownNo dependable maximum foundUnknown
HabitatShallow coral reefs of Australia and New GuineaWarm reefs, flats and mangroves
DietWorms, crustaceans and small fishesFishes, rays, mollusks and crustaceans
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; Nurse shark by recorded to 3.08 m / 10.1 ft. Mass varies strongly with size and is shown only as a reference. Length is a recorded maximum; mass is a rounded adult reference.

Bite evidence

Epaulette shark: No standardized maximum is used. Nurse shark: Suction performance is central to feeding and is not captured by bite-force rankings.

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. A small mouth and powerful suction suit its bottom-feeding life.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Epaulette sharkAustralian MuseumNurse sharkFlorida MuseumHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →