SHARK VS SHARK

HybodusvsBluntnose sixgill

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×LivingHexanchus griseus
QUICK VERDICT

Bluntnose sixgill is about 1.92× longer by these reference values.

Bluntnose sixgill uses a 4.8 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
BBluntnose sixgillreported to 4.8 m / 15.8 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.

MeasureHybodusBluntnose sixgill
Length referenceabout 2.5 m / 8.2 ftreported to 4.8 m / 15.8 ft
Weight referenceNot reliably reconstructedpublished to 590 kg / 1,300 lb
Bite forceNo defensible estimate usedUnknownNo dependable maximum foundUnknown
Timeabout 250–100 million years agoDeep temperate and tropical waters
DietFishes and hard-shelled preyFishes, rays, seals and carrion
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; Bluntnose sixgill by reported to 4.8 m / 15.8 ft. The genus spans a long interval and multiple species; this is a comparison reference. Deepwater sampling is difficult, so upper records are sparse.

Bite evidence

Hybodus: Tooth form suggests diet, not an exact force. Bluntnose sixgill: No standardized maximum is available.

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 six gill slits mark an ancient branch of shark diversity.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

HybodusNatural History MuseumBluntnose sixgillFlorida MuseumHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →