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Giant Shark Species

Large sharks with headline body sizes that make them useful anchor terms for comparison pages.

9 matching species
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Underwater photograph of a basking shark feeding near the surface with its mouth open; not to scale.
Cetorhinus maximus

Basking Shark

Huge open-mouthed filter feeder of cooler seas.

12.0 m maxEndangered
NOAA research photograph of a common thresher, emphasizing the long upper tail lobe used in prey strikes; not to scale.
Alopias vulpinus

Common Thresher

Uses a whip-like tail to stun fish schools.

6.0 m maxVulnerable
Great hammerhead photograph showing the wide cephalofoil and tall first dorsal fin; not to scale.
Sphyrna mokarran

Great Hammerhead

Long-cephalofoil hunter that patrols warm coastal waters.

6.1 m maxCritically Endangered
Great white shark specimen photograph used as bundled guide art.
Carcharodon carcharias

Great White Shark

Common name: White shark

Fast, powerful apex predator built for bursts of speed.

6.1 m maxVulnerable
Greenland shark deep-sea photograph showing the blunt head and heavy cylindrical body; not to scale.
Somniosus microcephalus

Greenland shark

Shark species in Somniosidae.

7.3 m max
NOAA specimen photograph of a tiger shark showing the broad head and faint body striping; not to scale.
Galeocerdo cuvier

Tiger Shark

Wide-ranging opportunist with a famously varied diet.

5.5 m maxNear threatened
Silhouette study emphasizing the broad filter-feeding body and spotted pattern reference; not to scale.
Rhincodon typus

Whale Shark

The planet's largest fish, but a gentle filter feeder.

18.0 m maxEndangered
Megamouth shark specimen photograph showing the broad mouth and soft-bodied profile; not to scale.
Megachasma pelagios

big mouth shark

Common name: Megamouth shark

Shark species in Megachasmidae.

7.1 m max
Smooth hammerhead reference photograph showing the gently curved hammer and tall dorsal fin; not to scale.
Sphyrna zygaena

hammerhead

Common name: Smooth hammerhead

Shark species in Sphyrnidae.

5.0 m max