Whitetip reef shark is about 1.99× longer by these reference values.
Whitetip reef shark uses a 2.13 m upper reference, compared with 1.07 m for Epaulette shark. Whitetip reef shark's weight reference is about 6.1× heavier.
ON THE SAME SCALE
Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.
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.
THE NUMBERS
Side by side.
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; Whitetip reef shark by reported to 2.13 m / 7 ft. Mass varies strongly with size and is shown only as a reference. The species is usually smaller than its reported maximum.
Bite evidence
Epaulette shark: No standardized maximum is used. Whitetip reef shark: No standardized maximum is used.
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 slim body lets it hunt inside reef crevices.
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