SHARK VS SHARK

Otodus obliquusvsTiger shark

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×LivingGaleocerdo cuvier
QUICK VERDICT

Otodus obliquus is about 1.65× longer by these reference values.

Otodus obliquus uses a 9.1 m upper reference, compared with 5.5 m for Tiger shark. 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
BTiger sharklargest specimens exceed 5.5 m / 18 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 obliquusTiger shark
Length referenceestimated to about 9.1 m / 30 ftlargest specimens exceed 5.5 m / 18 ft
Weight referenceNot reliably reconstructedexceptional estimate over 900 kg / 2,000 lb
Bite forceNo defensible estimate usedUnknownNo dependable maximum foundUnknown
Timeabout 56–45 million years agoTropical and warm-temperate seas
DietLarge fishes and marine vertebratesTurtles, fishes, birds, carrion and more
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; Tiger shark by largest specimens exceed 5.5 m / 18 ft. Soft-body dimensions are inferred from teeth and living analogues. Both values describe exceptional animals, not an average adult.

Bite evidence

Otodus obliquus: No species-specific model is used. Tiger shark: Popular figures are often repeated without a traceable species-level method.

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 broad diet is real; an exact maximum bite number is not well established.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Otodus obliquusPaleobiology DatabaseTiger sharkFlorida MuseumHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →