Shortfin mako is about 1.48× longer by these reference values.
Shortfin mako uses a 4.45 m upper reference, compared with 3 m for Lemon shark. Shortfin mako's weight reference is about 2.3× 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
Lemon shark is represented by commonly to 3 m / 10 ft; Shortfin mako by reported to about 4.45 m / 14.6 ft. The values are upper-end figures, not a typical adult profile. Record length and mass do not necessarily describe the same individual.
Bite evidence
Lemon shark: No standardized maximum is available for a fair cross-species comparison. 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
Decades of field research make this one of the best-studied coastal sharks. Speed is its signature; the biggest animals are unusual and hard to verify.
TRACE THE CLAIMS