White shark is about 2.8× longer by these reference values.
White shark uses a 6 m upper reference, compared with 2.13 m for Whitetip reef shark. White shark's weight reference is about 124× 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
White shark is represented by about 6 m / 20 ft; Whitetip reef shark by reported to 2.13 m / 7 ft. Maximum length and mass are exceptional upper-end figures. The species is usually smaller than its reported maximum.
Bite evidence
White shark: A 3-D finite-element model predicted the bite of a very large individual; it was not measured on a living shark. 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 headline bite number is a computer model, not a live-animal measurement. Its slim body lets it hunt inside reef crevices.
TRACE THE CLAIMS