SHARK VS SHARK

Goblin sharkvsHybodus

Length, weight and bite evidence—plus context from a human, city bus and blue whale. Every number below carries its uncertainty with it.

LivingMitsukurina owstoni×ExtinctHybodus hauffianus
QUICK VERDICT

Goblin shark is about 2.5× longer by these reference values.

Goblin shark uses a 6.17 m upper reference, compared with 2.5 m for Hybodus. A clean mass ratio is not shown because at least one weight is not reliably reconstructed.

01

ON THE SAME SCALE

Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.

RELATIVE LENGTH · 0–24 METERS
AGoblin sharkphoto-based estimates to 5.4–6.17 m / 18–20 ft
BHybodusabout 2.5 m / 8.2 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.

MeasureGoblin sharkHybodus
Length referencephoto-based estimates to 5.4–6.17 m / 18–20 ftabout 2.5 m / 8.2 ft
Weight referencelarge specimen reported near 210 kg / 463 lbNot reliably reconstructed
Bite forceNo dependable maximum foundUnknownNo defensible estimate usedUnknown
TimeDeep continental slopes worldwideabout 250–100 million years ago
DietFishes, squid and crustaceansFishes and hard-shelled prey
03

WHAT THE DATA CAN SAY

Size is not the whole animal.

Length and weight

Goblin shark is represented by photo-based estimates to 5.4–6.17 m / 18–20 ft; Hybodus by about 2.5 m / 8.2 ft. The longest figures come from regression estimates based on photographs. The genus spans a long interval and multiple species; this is a comparison reference.

Bite evidence

Goblin shark: Jaw speed and protrusion are not the same measurement as bite force. Hybodus: Tooth form suggests diet, not an exact force.

Living versus extinct

At least one animal is known from fossils. Fossil length, weight and bite estimates depend on which living analogues and scaling equations researchers choose.

Ecology changes the matchup

Its jaws shoot forward rapidly; maximum body size remains uncertain. It was a shark-line relative, not a member of a living shark order.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Goblin sharkFlorida MuseumHybodusNatural History MuseumHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →