Zebra shark is about 1.15× longer by these reference values.
Zebra shark uses a 3.54 m upper reference, compared with 3.08 m for Nurse shark. Nurse shark's weight reference is about 3.1× 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
Nurse shark is represented by recorded to 3.08 m / 10.1 ft; Zebra shark by reported to 3.54 m / 11.6 ft. Length is a recorded maximum; mass is a rounded adult reference. Its very long tail adds substantially to total length.
Bite evidence
Nurse shark: Suction performance is central to feeding and is not captured by bite-force rankings. Zebra shark: No standardized maximum 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
A small mouth and powerful suction suit its bottom-feeding life. Juveniles have stripes; adults are spotted despite the common name.
TRACE THE CLAIMS