SHARK VS SHARK

Otodus obliquusvsBluntnose sixgill

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×LivingHexanchus griseus
QUICK VERDICT

Otodus obliquus is about 1.90× longer by these reference values.

Otodus obliquus uses a 9.1 m upper reference, compared with 4.8 m for Bluntnose sixgill. 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
BBluntnose sixgillreported to 4.8 m / 15.8 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 obliquusBluntnose sixgill
Length referenceestimated to about 9.1 m / 30 ftreported to 4.8 m / 15.8 ft
Weight referenceNot reliably reconstructedpublished to 590 kg / 1,300 lb
Bite forceNo defensible estimate usedUnknownNo dependable maximum foundUnknown
Timeabout 56–45 million years agoDeep temperate and tropical waters
DietLarge fishes and marine vertebratesFishes, rays, seals and carrion
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; Bluntnose sixgill by reported to 4.8 m / 15.8 ft. Soft-body dimensions are inferred from teeth and living analogues. Deepwater sampling is difficult, so upper records are sparse.

Bite evidence

Otodus obliquus: No species-specific model is used. Bluntnose sixgill: No standardized maximum is available.

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. Its six gill slits mark an ancient branch of shark diversity.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Otodus obliquusPaleobiology DatabaseBluntnose sixgillFlorida MuseumHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →