SHARK VS SHARK

Horn sharkvsWhite 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×LivingCarcharodon carcharias
QUICK VERDICT

White shark is about 4.9× longer by these reference values.

White shark uses a 6 m upper reference, compared with 1.22 m for Horn shark. White shark's weight reference is about 227× 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
BWhite sharkabout 6 m / 20 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 sharkWhite shark
Length referencereported to 1.22 m / 4 ftabout 6 m / 20 ft
Weight referencelarge-adult reference about 10 kg / 22 lbreported to about 2,268 kg / 5,000 lb
Bite force128–338 N theoretical, depending on tooth positionModeledabout 18,000 NModeled
HabitatRocky eastern Pacific reefsTemperate seas worldwide
DietUrchins, crabs and mollusksFish, rays and marine mammals
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; White shark by about 6 m / 20 ft. Weight is a rounded adult reference. Maximum length and mass are exceptional upper-end figures.

Bite evidence

Horn shark: Experiments also measured bites; the displayed range is the study's theoretical maximum from front to rear teeth. White shark: A 3-D finite-element model predicted the bite of a very large individual; it was not measured on a living shark.

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. Its headline bite number is a computer model, not a live-animal measurement.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Horn sharkHuber et al. (2005)White sharkWroe et al. (2008) + Florida MuseumHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →