What‘s the Biggest Shark?

The great white shark in Jaws (1975), allegedly 25 feet long and weighing three tons, unleashed a deep-seated fear of the fish among moviegoers. But are great whites the biggest in the seas? Let’s dive into the question.

1. Which Shark Is the Largest?
2. How Big Can Great White Sharks Get?

Which Shark Is the Largest?

The largest shark to ever live was likely the mighty megalodon (Otodus megalodon), which swam in prehistoric oceans from 23 to 3.6 million years ago and is now definitely extinct. Paleontologists have estimated their maximum size at 43 to 82 feet long based on analyses of incomplete skeletons, teeth, and fossilized feces.

Megalodon’s diet consisted of seals and filter-feeding whales. One of its prey was supposedly the 16-foot Piscobalaena nana, a marine mammal that resembled a humpback whale. Megladon’s chompers could grow up to 7.5 inches long to devour gigantic prey.

The largest extant shark species—and the biggest fish species on Earth—is the whale shark (Rhincodon typus). These gentle giants reach maturity when they’re about 30 feet long, but they may grow to a maximum of 65 feet. Whale sharks can also have long lifespans. One 2018 study suggested that they attain adulthood at age 25 and can live for up to 130 years, though that’s nothing compared to Greenland sharks. A 2016 study in Science revealed that the Arctic fish can live for at least 272 years and probably a century more than that.

The second-largest living species is the basking shark, reaching nearly 36 feet long and weighing four tons or more. Luckily, these gigantic animals don’t crave human flesh. The whale shark and basking shark are both filter feeders, meaning they feast on tiny creatures, such as krill and plankton, by gliding through the water with their mouths open wide.

How Big Can Great White Sharks Get?

The mechanical beast in Jaws was significantly bigger than the average great white. Males can reach 11 to 13 feet, while females typically measure 15 to 16 feet. The largest great whites ever recorded were 20 feet long.

People have been known to overestimate the predator’s maximum length. In 1870, a zoologist claimed that a great white specimen must have reached 36.5 feet based on measurements of its disembodied jaw. After re-examining the finding, modern scientists concluded that the shark was likely 16.5 feet instead.

Another instance involved a great white, which was captured in 1970. Onlookers swore it was 21 feet long, but experts examining a photo of the shark said it was probably more like 16 feet.    

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