SHARK VS SHARK

Greenland sharkvsLemon shark

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

LivingSomniosus microcephalus×LivingNegaprion brevirostris
QUICK VERDICT

Greenland shark is about 2.1× longer by these reference values.

Greenland shark uses a 6.4 m upper reference, compared with 3 m for Lemon shark. Greenland shark's weight reference is about 4.1× heavier.

01

ON THE SAME SCALE

Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.

RELATIVE LENGTH · 0–24 METERS
AGreenland sharkconfirmed to about 6.4 m / 21 ft
BLemon sharkcommonly to 3 m / 10 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.

MeasureGreenland sharkLemon shark
Length referenceconfirmed to about 6.4 m / 21 ftcommonly to 3 m / 10 ft
Weight referencereported to about 1,023 kg / 2,255 lbreported to 250 kg / 551 lb
Bite forceNo reliable published estimateUnknownNo dependable maximum foundUnknown
HabitatCold North Atlantic and Arctic watersShallow subtropical coasts and mangroves
DietFish, carrion and marine mammalsFishes, rays and crustaceans
03

WHAT THE DATA CAN SAY

Size is not the whole animal.

Length and weight

Greenland shark is represented by confirmed to about 6.4 m / 21 ft; Lemon shark by commonly to 3 m / 10 ft. Age and upper mass involve uncertainty; length is better documented. The values are upper-end figures, not a typical adult profile.

Bite evidence

Greenland shark: TuffShark found no defensible species-level bite-force estimate to display. Lemon shark: No standardized maximum is available for a fair cross-species comparison.

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

The age estimate is extraordinary; a dependable bite-force figure is not available. Decades of field research make this one of the best-studied coastal sharks.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Greenland sharkNOAA Ocean ServiceLemon sharkFlorida MuseumHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →