SHARK VS SHARK

Sand tiger sharkvsWhitetip reef shark

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

LivingCarcharias taurus×LivingTriaenodon obesus
QUICK VERDICT

Sand tiger shark is about 1.50× longer by these reference values.

Sand tiger shark uses a 3.2 m upper reference, compared with 2.13 m for Whitetip reef shark. Sand tiger shark's weight reference is about 8.7× heavier.

01

ON THE SAME SCALE

Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.

RELATIVE LENGTH · 0–24 METERS
ASand tiger sharkreported to about 3.2 m / 10.5 ft
BWhitetip reef sharkreported to 2.13 m / 7 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.

MeasureSand tiger sharkWhitetip reef shark
Length referencereported to about 3.2 m / 10.5 ftreported to 2.13 m / 7 ft
Weight referencereported to about 159 kg / 350 lbreported near 18.3 kg / 40 lb
Bite forceNo dependable maximum foundUnknownNo dependable maximum foundUnknown
HabitatTemperate and subtropical coastsTropical Indo-Pacific reefs
DietFishes, rays, squid and crustaceansOctopus, fishes and crustaceans
03

WHAT THE DATA CAN SAY

Size is not the whole animal.

Length and weight

Sand tiger shark is represented by reported to about 3.2 m / 10.5 ft; Whitetip reef shark by reported to 2.13 m / 7 ft. Upper records vary by region and source. The species is usually smaller than its reported maximum.

Bite evidence

Sand tiger shark: A reliable comparable maximum was not found. Whitetip reef 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

Its protruding teeth look dramatic, but appearance alone does not reveal bite force. Its slim body lets it hunt inside reef crevices.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Sand tiger sharkFlorida MuseumWhitetip reef sharkFlorida MuseumHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →