Shortfin mako is about 3.6× longer by these reference values.
Shortfin mako uses a 4.45 m upper reference, compared with 1.22 m for Horn shark. Shortfin mako's weight reference is about 57× heavier.
ON THE SAME SCALE
Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.
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.
THE NUMBERS
Side by side.
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; Shortfin mako by reported to about 4.45 m / 14.6 ft. Weight is a rounded adult reference. Record length and mass do not necessarily describe the same individual.
Bite evidence
Horn shark: Experiments also measured bites; the displayed range is the study's theoretical maximum from front to rear teeth. Shortfin mako: No directly comparable maximum bite-force estimate is used.
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. Speed is its signature; the biggest animals are unusual and hard to verify.
TRACE THE CLAIMS