SHARK VS SHARK

Frilled 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.

LivingChlamydoselachus anguineus×LivingSomniosus microcephalus
QUICK VERDICT

Greenland shark is about 3.2× longer by these reference values.

Greenland shark uses a 6.4 m upper reference, compared with 2 m for Frilled shark. Greenland shark's weight reference is about 68× heavier.

01

ON THE SAME SCALE

Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.

RELATIVE LENGTH · 0–24 METERS
AFrilled sharkabout 2 m / 6.6 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.

MeasureFrilled sharkGreenland shark
Length referenceabout 2 m / 6.6 ftconfirmed to about 6.4 m / 21 ft
Weight referencelarge-adult reference about 15 kg / 33 lbreported to about 1,023 kg / 2,255 lb
Bite forceNo dependable maximum foundUnknownNo reliable published estimateUnknown
HabitatDeep continental slopesCold North Atlantic and Arctic waters
DietSquid, fishes and small sharksFish, carrion and marine mammals
03

WHAT THE DATA CAN SAY

Size is not the whole animal.

Length and weight

Frilled shark is represented by about 2 m / 6.6 ft; Greenland shark by confirmed to about 6.4 m / 21 ft. Deepwater records remain limited. Age and upper mass involve uncertainty; length is better documented.

Bite evidence

Frilled shark: No standardized maximum is available. 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

Its body plan looks ancient, but living frilled sharks are modern species—not unchanged fossils. The age estimate is extraordinary; a dependable bite-force figure is not available.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Frilled sharkFlorida MuseumGreenland sharkNOAA Ocean ServiceHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →