SHARK VS SHARK

Otodus obliquusvsPtychodus

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

ExtinctOtodus obliquus×ExtinctPtychodus mortoni
QUICK VERDICT

Ptychodus is about 1.07× longer by these reference values.

These animals are effectively close in maximum-length terms, so measurement uncertainty can matter more than the apparent difference. 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
AOtodus obliquusestimated to about 9.1 m / 30 ft
BPtychodusrecent reconstructions approach 9.7 m / 32 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.

MeasureOtodus obliquusPtychodus
Length referenceestimated to about 9.1 m / 30 ftrecent reconstructions approach 9.7 m / 32 ft
Weight referenceNot reliably reconstructedNot reliably reconstructed
Bite forceNo defensible estimate usedUnknownNo defensible estimate usedUnknown
Timeabout 56–45 million years agoabout 100–85 million years ago
DietLarge fishes and marine vertebratesHard-shelled prey
03

WHAT THE DATA CAN SAY

Size is not the whole animal.

Length and weight

Otodus obliquus is represented by estimated to about 9.1 m / 30 ft; Ptychodus by recent reconstructions approach 9.7 m / 32 ft. Soft-body dimensions are inferred from teeth and living analogues. A body outline is rare; length estimates can change with new fossils.

Bite evidence

Otodus obliquus: No species-specific model is used. Ptychodus: Hard-prey specialization does not justify inventing a force number.

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 belonged to the megatooth lineage that later produced megalodon. Flattened crushing teeth—not knife-like teeth—defined this huge shark.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Otodus obliquusPaleobiology DatabasePtychodusPaleobiology DatabaseHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →