SHARK VS SHARK

Great hammerheadvsHorn shark

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

LivingSphyrna mokarran×LivingHeterodontus francisci
QUICK VERDICT

Great hammerhead is about 5.0× longer by these reference values.

Great hammerhead uses a 6.1 m upper reference, compared with 1.22 m for Horn shark. Great hammerhead's weight reference is about 45× heavier.

01

ON THE SAME SCALE

Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.

RELATIVE LENGTH · 0–24 METERS
AGreat hammerheadreported to 6.1 m / 20 ft
BHorn sharkreported to 1.22 m / 4 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.

MeasureGreat hammerheadHorn shark
Length referencereported to 6.1 m / 20 ftreported to 1.22 m / 4 ft
Weight referencerecorded to about 450 kg / 991 lblarge-adult reference about 10 kg / 22 lb
Bite forceNo dependable maximum foundUnknown128–338 N theoretical, depending on tooth positionModeled
HabitatTropical coastal and offshore watersRocky eastern Pacific reefs
DietRays, fish and smaller sharksUrchins, crabs and mollusks
03

WHAT THE DATA CAN SAY

Size is not the whole animal.

Length and weight

Great hammerhead is represented by reported to 6.1 m / 20 ft; Horn shark by reported to 1.22 m / 4 ft. The comparison uses the largest reported length and a record mass. Weight is a rounded adult reference.

Bite evidence

Great hammerhead: Comparative biomechanics exist, but a simple verified maximum is not established here. Horn shark: Experiments also measured bites; the displayed range is the study's theoretical maximum from front to rear teeth.

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

Its wide head is a sensory platform, not just an unusual silhouette. Its rear teeth crush hard prey, and its bite mechanics have been tested directly and modeled.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Great hammerheadFlorida MuseumHorn sharkHuber et al. (2005)How we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →