Whale sharks and basking sharks dwarf every other shark, with great whites and great hammerheads next, ranked by the longest length that reliable sources document, not by legend.
Pictured: a whale shark, #1 with a maximum reliably measured length of 12.65 m.
| Rank | Species | Max reliably measured length (m) | Max length (ft) | Larger claims (unverified) | Typical adult (m) | Max weight (kg) | Feeding type | IUCN status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) | 12.65 | 41.5 | 14–18 m+ (unmeasured) | – | 21,500 (est.) | Filter feeder | Endangered |
| 2 | Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus) | 8.8 | 28.9 | 12.27 m (1851, disputed); 13.7 m; 15.2 m | – | – | Filter feeder | Endangered |
| 3 | Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) | 6.1 | 20.0 | 6.4 m (Cuba, 1945, disputed); 7 m+ | – | – | Predator | Vulnerable |
| 4 | Great Hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) | 6.1 | 20.0 | 6.2 m | 3.7 | 449.5 | Predator | Critically Endangered |
| 5 | Common Thresher (Alopias vulpinus) | 5.73 | 18.8 | 6.1 m; 7.6 m | – | 348 | Predator | Vulnerable |
| 6 | Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) | 5.5 | 18.0 | 6.2–7.4 m | 3.8–4.5 | – | Scavenger-predator | Near Threatened |
| 7 | Greenland Shark (Somniosus microcephalus) | 5.49 | 18.0 | 6.4 m; 7.3 m | 2–4 | – | Scavenger-predator | Vulnerable |
| 8 | Megamouth Shark (Megachasma pelagios) | 5.44 | 17.8 | 7.09 m (female) | 4–5.5 | 1,040 | Filter feeder | Least Concern |
| 9 | Bluntnose Sixgill Shark (Hexanchus griseus) | 4.82 | 15.8 | 5.5 m; 6.0 m | 3.0 | – | Predator | Near Threatened |
| 10 | Shortfin Mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) | 4.45 | 14.6 | – | 2.7 | 505.8 | Predator | Endangered |
| 11 | Pacific Sleeper Shark (Somniosus pacificus) | 4.4 | 14.4 | 4.65 m; 7 m+ (photo estimates) | – | 888 | Predator | Near Threatened |
| 12 | Southern Sleeper Shark (Somniosus antarcticus) | 4.38 | 14.4 | 4.56 m; up to 6 m | – | – | Predator | Least Concern |
| 13 | Smooth Hammerhead (Sphyrna zygaena) | 4.2 | 13.8 | 5.0 m | 3.35 | 400 | Predator | Vulnerable |
| 14 | Goblin Shark (Mitsukurina owstoni) | 3.8 | 12.5 | 5.4–6.17 m (estimates) | 2.0 | – | Predator | Least Concern |
No matching rows.
Ranking rule: every species is ranked on one basis, the largest total length (nose to tail tip) that a named reference states as a recorded maximum, leaving out any figure that the same or another authoritative source flags as estimated, anecdotal or unverified. Where reliable sources disagree and the gap could not be resolved, the lower figure is used and the higher one goes in the “Larger claims (unverified)” column. That is why several famous numbers are not ranked on: the 12.27 m basking shark (one 1851 catch; New Zealand’s Department of Conservation gives 8.8 m as the maximum accurately measured), 15.2 m for the same species, 7+ m great whites, a 7.4 m tiger shark, 6.4–7.3 m Greenland sharks, a 6.17 m goblin shark (a regression-based estimate; the 3.8 m male is the documented record) and 7 m sleeper sharks sighted by submersible. Several values come from FishBase or species accounts that cite a maximum without naming the individual fish, so ranks that are only a few centimetres apart (great white and great hammerhead; tiger and Greenland shark) are effectively ties. Typical lengths are mid-range figures from FishBase “common length”, Britannica or field studies, and weights are the heaviest published figure found, on mixed bases (the whale shark’s is an estimate); a dash means no figure was found. Feeding type is a simplified RList label. Extinct species such as Megalodon are not ranked. IUCN categories are as reported by FishBase and species accounts that cite the Red List and can change at the next review.[1]
The largest fish alive is a slow filter feeder that strains plankton and small fish. Guinness World Records recognises a 12.65 m female taken off Baba Island near Karachi, Pakistan, on 11 November 1949, estimated at 21.5 tonnes; a second reference puts the same animal at about 12.6 m. Claims of 14 to 18 m or more are not backed by a measured animal.[2] It is listed as Endangered.[1]
The second-largest living fish swims with its huge mouth open at the surface. New Zealand’s Department of Conservation gives 8.8 m as the maximum accurately measured length, with reliable visual estimates to 9.1 m. A 12.27 m figure usually traces to an 1851 catch in the Bay of Fundy, and FishBase lists up to 15.2 m, so both are shown as unverified here. Either way the species stays a clear #2.[3]
The largest predatory shark. A 6.1 m female caught off Prince Edward Island, Canada, is the figure most often verified. A 6.4 m Cuban specimen from 1945 is accepted by some researchers but others argue it was a few feet shorter, and the famous 7 m Malta shark measured about 5.5 m once a BBC photo analysis corrected for exaggeration.[4]
The largest hammerhead. FishBase and the Florida Museum both give 610 cm as the largest reported length, though most adults are nearer 3.7 m. The Florida Museum lists a 450 kg (991 lb) fish from Sarasota as the world record, and a pregnant 4.4 m female off Boca Grande, Florida, weighed an estimated 580 kg. It is Critically Endangered.[5]
About half of its length is tail, which it uses to stun schooling fish with overhead slaps, as shown in a 2013 PLOS ONE study. FishBase lists 573 cm for males or unsexed fish (549 cm for females) and a 348 kg published maximum weight. Some sources say 6.1 m and about 500 kg, but those come without a named specimen.[6]
A generalist hunter and scavenger. The Florida Museum puts the upper size near 550 cm, and the largest tiger shark reliably reported in the literature is also 550 cm. Figures of 6.2 to 7.4 m circulate, but field studies in Hawaii find typical maxima of 3.8 to 4.5 m with a few animals reaching 5.5 m.[7]
The Arctic’s largest fish. A 5.49 m animal recorded by Bigelow and Schroeder is regarded as credible, FishBase lists 550 cm for females, and a survey of 411 sharks found none longer than 4 m. The widely repeated 6.4 m and 7.3 m figures are flagged as unverified by FishBase. IUCN-linked sources list it as Vulnerable after a reassessment in 2019–2020.[8]
The rarest of the three filter-feeding sharks. Animal Diversity Web gives the largest recorded female as 544 cm and 1,040 kg, and another female was reported at about 550 cm. FishBase also lists 709 cm for females, which no other source supports, so it is treated as unverified.[9]
A primitive deep-water shark with six gill slits. The Shark Research Institute and a peer-reviewed Pacific study cite 4.82 m. FishBase lists 600 cm and Oregon Sea Grant 5.5 m, but anecdotal accounts of bigger sixgills have never been accurately measured.[10]
The fastest shark. FishBase lists a 445 cm maximum (common length 270 cm) and a 505.8 kg published maximum weight; some general sources say over 570 kg. It is Endangered globally.[11]