SHARK VS SHARK

Horn sharkvsLemon shark

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

LivingHeterodontus francisci×LivingNegaprion brevirostris
QUICK VERDICT

Lemon shark is about 2.5× longer by these reference values.

Lemon shark uses a 3 m upper reference, compared with 1.22 m for Horn shark. Lemon shark's weight reference is about 25× heavier.

01

ON THE SAME SCALE

Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.

RELATIVE LENGTH · 0–24 METERS
AHorn sharkreported to 1.22 m / 4 ft
BLemon sharkcommonly to 3 m / 10 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.

MeasureHorn sharkLemon shark
Length referencereported to 1.22 m / 4 ftcommonly to 3 m / 10 ft
Weight referencelarge-adult reference about 10 kg / 22 lbreported to 250 kg / 551 lb
Bite force128–338 N theoretical, depending on tooth positionModeledNo dependable maximum foundUnknown
HabitatRocky eastern Pacific reefsShallow subtropical coasts and mangroves
DietUrchins, crabs and mollusksFishes, rays and crustaceans
03

WHAT THE DATA CAN SAY

Size is not the whole animal.

Length and weight

Horn shark is represented by reported to 1.22 m / 4 ft; Lemon shark by commonly to 3 m / 10 ft. Weight is a rounded adult reference. The values are upper-end figures, not a typical adult profile.

Bite evidence

Horn shark: Experiments also measured bites; the displayed range is the study's theoretical maximum from front to rear teeth. Lemon shark: No standardized maximum is available for a fair cross-species comparison.

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 rear teeth crush hard prey, and its bite mechanics have been tested directly and modeled. Decades of field research make this one of the best-studied coastal sharks.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Horn sharkHuber et al. (2005)Lemon sharkFlorida MuseumHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →