SHARK VS SHARK

Greenland sharkvsPtychodus

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×ExtinctPtychodus mortoni
QUICK VERDICT

Ptychodus is about 1.52× longer by these reference values.

Ptychodus uses a 9.7 m upper reference, compared with 6.4 m for Greenland shark. 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
AGreenland sharkconfirmed to about 6.4 m / 21 ft
BPtychodusrecent reconstructions approach 9.7 m / 32 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 sharkPtychodus
Length referenceconfirmed to about 6.4 m / 21 ftrecent reconstructions approach 9.7 m / 32 ft
Weight referencereported to about 1,023 kg / 2,255 lbNot reliably reconstructed
Bite forceNo reliable published estimateUnknownNo defensible estimate usedUnknown
TimeCold North Atlantic and Arctic watersabout 100–85 million years ago
DietFish, carrion and marine mammalsHard-shelled prey
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; Ptychodus by recent reconstructions approach 9.7 m / 32 ft. Age and upper mass involve uncertainty; length is better documented. A body outline is rare; length estimates can change with new fossils.

Bite evidence

Greenland shark: TuffShark found no defensible species-level bite-force estimate to display. Ptychodus: Hard-prey specialization does not justify inventing a force number.

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

The age estimate is extraordinary; a dependable bite-force figure is not available. Flattened crushing teeth—not knife-like teeth—defined this huge shark.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Greenland sharkNOAA Ocean ServicePtychodusPaleobiology DatabaseHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →