Shark Size Comparison (Official Lengths)
Compare 12 shark maximum lengths, from 0.2 m Lanternsharks to the 12 m Whale Shark. Every NOAA row is sourced. Every length maximum names its source below.
Visual comparison
All values
Click any row to load it as Entry A.
| Name | Value | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarf Lanternshark 0.2 m. Shortest row here. Fits a hand. | 0.2 m (0.7 ft) | Smallest known shark, deep water | Smithsonian Ocean: Dwarf Lanternshark 21 cm max |
| Blacktip Reef Shark 1.6 m. Eight Lanternsharks. | 1.6 m (5.2 ft) | Common reef shark, Indo-Pacific | Florida Museum species profile: Blacktip Reef 1.6 m max |
| Bull Shark 3.5 m. Double the Blacktip. | 3.5 m (11.5 ft) | Stocky coastal shark, rivers too | Florida Museum species profile: Bull Shark 3.5 m max |
| Blue Shark 3.8 m. Slim but long. | 3.8 m (12.5 ft) | Open ocean blue shark | NOAA Fisheries: Blue Shark up to 3.8 m |
| Shortfin Mako 4.5 m. Hundred plus kph bursts, noted. | 4.5 m (14.8 ft) | Fastest shark, short fins | NOAA Fisheries: Shortfin Mako up to 4.5 m |
| Tiger Shark 5.5 m. A meter over the Mako. | 5.5 m (18 ft) | Striped tiger of the sea | Florida Museum species profile: Tiger Shark 5.5 m max |
| Great White Shark 6.0 m verified. Larger claims stay unrowed. | 6 m (19.7 ft) | Famous white predator | NOAA Fisheries: Great White verified 6 m plus |
| Great Hammerhead 6.1 m. A fin over the White. | 6.1 m (20 ft) | Hammer headed hunter | Florida Museum species profile: Great Hammerhead 6.1 m max |
| Greenland Shark 6.4 m. Lives for centuries, noted. | 6.4 m (21 ft) | Slow Arctic giant | NOAA Fisheries: Greenland Shark up to 6.4 m |
| Basking Shark 8.8 m. Second largest living fish. | 8.8 m (28.9 ft) | Giant filter feeder, temperate | Florida Museum species profile: Basking Shark 8.8 m max |
| Whale Shark 12.0 m verified. Sixty Lanternsharks. | 12 m (39.4 ft) | Largest living fish | NOAA Fisheries: Whale Shark up to 12 m verified |
| Megalodon 15.0 m estimate. Extinct, labeled plainly. Priciest row here. | 15 m (49.2 ft) | Extinct giant, fossil estimate | Smithsonian Ocean: Megalodon about 15 m estimate |
About this converter
Shark lengths run 0.2 to 15 meters across living species plus one fossil giant. Dwarf Lanternsharks reach 0.2, Blacktip Reef sharks 1.6, Bull sharks 3.5, Blue sharks 3.8, Shortfin Makos 4.5, Tiger sharks 5.5, Great Whites 6.0, Great Hammerheads 6.1, Greenland sharks 6.4, Basking sharks 8.8 and Whale Sharks 12. Megalodon at 15 stays an extinct estimate. That makes one Whale Shark equal sixty Dwarf Lanternsharks. Every figure here is the published maximum with females usually largest.
How to use it
Pick two entries and a unit in the top row. The three boxes below stay linked. Change any box and the other two update. Try 1 Whale Shark against Dwarf Lanternsharks to see the sixty to one gap.
Megalodon never swam beside humans, so its row is a fossil estimate labeled plainly. Whale Shark claims above 12 lack verification and stay noted but unrowed. Male and female maxima differ in most species, so rows pin the larger sex with the split noted. Pups and juveniles stay out because only adult maxima compare cleanly.
FAQ
How small is the smallest shark?
21 centimeters. It fits in a human hand and lives deep.
How big is a Whale Shark?
12 meters verified. Larger claims float around but lack proof.
How big is a Great White?
6 meters plus verified. It trails the Hammerhead and Greenland maxima here.
How big was Megalodon?
About 15 meters from tooth and vertebra math. It never met humans and stays labeled an estimate.
Sources
- NOAA Fisheries species profiles: Blue 3.8 m, Mako 4.5 m, White 6 m, Greenland 6.4 m, Whale 12 m
- Florida Museum shark profiles: Blacktip 1.6 m, Bull 3.5 m, Tiger 5.5 m, Hammerhead 6.1 m, Basking 8.8 m
- Smithsonian Ocean: Dwarf Lanternshark 21 cm, Megalodon 15 m estimate
Last verified: 2026-09-30 · 12 entries
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