SHARK VS SHARK

Frilled sharkvsGreat hammerhead

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×LivingSphyrna mokarran
QUICK VERDICT

Great hammerhead is about 3.0× longer by these reference values.

Great hammerhead uses a 6.1 m upper reference, compared with 2 m for Frilled shark. Great hammerhead's weight reference is about 30× heavier.

01

ON THE SAME SCALE

Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.

RELATIVE LENGTH · 0–24 METERS
AFrilled sharkabout 2 m / 6.6 ft
BGreat hammerheadreported to 6.1 m / 20 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 sharkGreat hammerhead
Length referenceabout 2 m / 6.6 ftreported to 6.1 m / 20 ft
Weight referencelarge-adult reference about 15 kg / 33 lbrecorded to about 450 kg / 991 lb
Bite forceNo dependable maximum foundUnknownNo dependable maximum foundUnknown
HabitatDeep continental slopesTropical coastal and offshore waters
DietSquid, fishes and small sharksRays, fish and smaller sharks
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; Great hammerhead by reported to 6.1 m / 20 ft. Deepwater records remain limited. The comparison uses the largest reported length and a record mass.

Bite evidence

Frilled shark: No standardized maximum is available. Great hammerhead: Comparative biomechanics exist, but a simple verified maximum is not established here.

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. Its wide head is a sensory platform, not just an unusual silhouette.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Frilled sharkFlorida MuseumGreat hammerheadFlorida MuseumHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →