SHARK VS SHARK

Greenland sharkvsOceanic whitetip

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×LivingCarcharhinus longimanus
QUICK VERDICT

Greenland shark is about 1.60× longer by these reference values.

Greenland shark uses a 6.4 m upper reference, compared with 4 m for Oceanic whitetip. Greenland shark's weight reference is about 6.1× 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
BOceanic whitetipreported to 4 m / 13 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 sharkOceanic whitetip
Length referenceconfirmed to about 6.4 m / 21 ftreported to 4 m / 13 ft
Weight referencereported to about 1,023 kg / 2,255 lbrecorded to 167.4 kg / 369 lb
Bite forceNo reliable published estimateUnknownNo dependable maximum foundUnknown
HabitatCold North Atlantic and Arctic watersWarm open ocean
DietFish, carrion and marine mammalsFishes, squid, turtles and carrion
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; Oceanic whitetip by reported to 4 m / 13 ft. Age and upper mass involve uncertainty; length is better documented. The comparison deliberately distinguishes the record from common size.

Bite evidence

Greenland shark: TuffShark found no defensible species-level bite-force estimate to display. Oceanic whitetip: A traceable, species-wide maximum is not available.

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. Most individuals are under 3 m even though larger records exist.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Greenland sharkNOAA Ocean ServiceOceanic whitetipFlorida MuseumHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →