SHARK VS SHARK

Megamouth sharkvsOceanic whitetip

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

LivingMegachasma pelagios×LivingCarcharhinus longimanus
QUICK VERDICT

Megamouth shark is about 1.77× longer by these reference values.

Megamouth shark uses a 7.1 m upper reference, compared with 4 m for Oceanic whitetip. Megamouth shark's weight reference is about 7.3× heavier.

01

ON THE SAME SCALE

Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.

RELATIVE LENGTH · 0–24 METERS
AMegamouth sharkreported to about 7.1 m / 23 ft
BOceanic whitetipreported to 4 m / 13 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.

MeasureMegamouth sharkOceanic whitetip
Length referencereported to about 7.1 m / 23 ftreported to 4 m / 13 ft
Weight referencereported near 1,215 kg / 2,679 lbrecorded to 167.4 kg / 369 lb
Bite forceNot meaningfully establishedUnknownNo dependable maximum foundUnknown
HabitatDeep tropical and subtropical oceansWarm open ocean
DietKrill and other planktonFishes, squid, turtles and carrion
03

WHAT THE DATA CAN SAY

Size is not the whole animal.

Length and weight

Megamouth shark is represented by reported to about 7.1 m / 23 ft; Oceanic whitetip by reported to 4 m / 13 ft. Sparse specimens make a true maximum difficult to establish. The comparison deliberately distinguishes the record from common size.

Bite evidence

Megamouth shark: This filter feeder lacks a comparable maximum-bite study. Oceanic whitetip: A traceable, species-wide maximum is not available.

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

Known from relatively few encounters, it still carries major uncertainty. Most individuals are under 3 m even though larger records exist.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Megamouth sharkFlorida MuseumOceanic whitetipFlorida MuseumHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →