SHARK VS SHARK

Great hammerheadvsNurse 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×LivingGinglymostoma cirratum
QUICK VERDICT

Great hammerhead is about 1.98× longer by these reference values.

Great hammerhead uses a 6.1 m upper reference, compared with 3.08 m for Nurse shark. Great hammerhead's weight reference is about 4.1× 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
BNurse sharkrecorded to 3.08 m / 10.1 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 hammerheadNurse shark
Length referencereported to 6.1 m / 20 ftrecorded to 3.08 m / 10.1 ft
Weight referencerecorded to about 450 kg / 991 lblarge-adult reference about 110 kg / 243 lb
Bite forceNo dependable maximum foundUnknownNo dependable maximum foundUnknown
HabitatTropical coastal and offshore watersWarm reefs, flats and mangroves
DietRays, fish and smaller sharksFishes, rays, mollusks and crustaceans
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; Nurse shark by recorded to 3.08 m / 10.1 ft. The comparison uses the largest reported length and a record mass. Length is a recorded maximum; mass is a rounded adult reference.

Bite evidence

Great hammerhead: Comparative biomechanics exist, but a simple verified maximum is not established here. Nurse shark: Suction performance is central to feeding and is not captured by bite-force rankings.

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. A small mouth and powerful suction suit its bottom-feeding life.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Great hammerheadFlorida MuseumNurse sharkFlorida MuseumHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →