Whale shark is about 1.72× longer by these reference values.
Whale shark uses a 12.2 m upper reference, compared with 7.1 m for Megamouth shark. Whale shark's weight reference is about 17× 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 SETS THEM APART
More than a size contest.
Length and weight
Megamouth shark is represented by reported to about 7.1 m / 23 ft; Whale shark by well documented near 12.2 m / 40 ft. Sparse specimens make a true maximum difficult to establish. Exceptional historical lengths exist, but 12.2 m is a conservative comparison value.
Habitat and diet
Megamouth shark: Deep tropical and subtropical oceans; krill and other plankton. Whale shark: Warm tropical and subtropical seas; plankton and small schooling animals.
Bite evidence
Megamouth shark: This filter feeder lacks a comparable maximum-bite study. Whale shark: Whale sharks filter feed; a comparable maximum bite-force study is not available.
Records are not averages
Both species are living, but record-sized individuals are rare. These upper references should not be read as normal adult size.
TRACE THE CLAIMS