SHARK VS SHARK

Great hammerheadvsMegamouth 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×LivingMegachasma pelagios
QUICK VERDICT

Megamouth shark is about 1.16× longer by these reference values.

Megamouth shark uses a 7.1 m upper reference, compared with 6.1 m for Great hammerhead. Megamouth shark's weight reference is about 2.7× 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
BMegamouth sharkreported to about 7.1 m / 23 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 hammerheadMegamouth shark
Length referencereported to 6.1 m / 20 ftreported to about 7.1 m / 23 ft
Weight referencerecorded to about 450 kg / 991 lbreported near 1,215 kg / 2,679 lb
Bite forceNo dependable maximum foundUnknownNot meaningfully establishedUnknown
HabitatTropical coastal and offshore watersDeep tropical and subtropical oceans
DietRays, fish and smaller sharksKrill and other plankton
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; Megamouth shark by reported to about 7.1 m / 23 ft. The comparison uses the largest reported length and a record mass. Sparse specimens make a true maximum difficult to establish.

Bite evidence

Great hammerhead: Comparative biomechanics exist, but a simple verified maximum is not established here. Megamouth shark: This filter feeder lacks a comparable maximum-bite study.

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. Known from relatively few encounters, it still carries major uncertainty.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Great hammerheadFlorida MuseumMegamouth sharkFlorida MuseumHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →