SHARK VS SHARK

HybodusvsSand tiger shark

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

ExtinctHybodus hauffianus×LivingCarcharias taurus
QUICK VERDICT

Sand tiger shark is about 1.28× longer by these reference values.

Sand tiger shark uses a 3.2 m upper reference, compared with 2.5 m for Hybodus. A clean mass ratio is not shown because at least one weight is not reliably reconstructed.

01

ON THE SAME SCALE

Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.

RELATIVE LENGTH · 0–24 METERS
AHybodusabout 2.5 m / 8.2 ft
BSand tiger sharkreported to about 3.2 m / 10.5 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.

MeasureHybodusSand tiger shark
Length referenceabout 2.5 m / 8.2 ftreported to about 3.2 m / 10.5 ft
Weight referenceNot reliably reconstructedreported to about 159 kg / 350 lb
Bite forceNo defensible estimate usedUnknownNo dependable maximum foundUnknown
Timeabout 250–100 million years agoTemperate and subtropical coasts
DietFishes and hard-shelled preyFishes, rays, squid and crustaceans
03

WHAT THE DATA CAN SAY

Size is not the whole animal.

Length and weight

Hybodus is represented by about 2.5 m / 8.2 ft; Sand tiger shark by reported to about 3.2 m / 10.5 ft. The genus spans a long interval and multiple species; this is a comparison reference. Upper records vary by region and source.

Bite evidence

Hybodus: Tooth form suggests diet, not an exact force. Sand tiger shark: A reliable comparable maximum was not found.

Living versus extinct

At least one animal is known from fossils. Fossil length, weight and bite estimates depend on which living analogues and scaling equations researchers choose.

Ecology changes the matchup

It was a shark-line relative, not a member of a living shark order. Its protruding teeth look dramatic, but appearance alone does not reveal bite force.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

HybodusNatural History MuseumSand tiger sharkFlorida MuseumHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →