SHARK VS SHARK

Greenland sharkvsSqualicorax

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×ExtinctSqualicorax pristodontus
QUICK VERDICT

Greenland shark is about 1.28× longer by these reference values.

Greenland shark uses a 6.4 m upper reference, compared with 5 m for Squalicorax. 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
BSqualicoraxestimated to about 5 m / 16 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 sharkSqualicorax
Length referenceconfirmed to about 6.4 m / 21 ftestimated to about 5 m / 16 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 85–66 million years ago
DietFish, carrion and marine mammalsFishes, marine reptiles 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; Squalicorax by estimated to about 5 m / 16 ft. Age and upper mass involve uncertainty; length is better documented. Body length and ecology are reconstructed from incomplete fossil evidence.

Bite evidence

Greenland shark: TuffShark found no defensible species-level bite-force estimate to display. Squalicorax: Bite traces show feeding, not maximum 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

The age estimate is extraordinary; a dependable bite-force figure is not available. Serrated teeth and bite traces show a broad, opportunistic diet.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Greenland sharkNOAA Ocean ServiceSqualicoraxPaleobiology DatabaseHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →