{"id":601275,"date":"2026-08-22T14:30:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T14:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/601275\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T14:30:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T14:30:34","slug":"its-longer-than-a-shipping-container-has-a-metre-wide-mouth-and-a-dorsal-fin-the-length-of-a-baseball-bat-9-biggest-most-gigantic-sharks-on-the-planet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/601275\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s longer than a shipping container, has a metre-wide mouth and a dorsal fin the length of a baseball bat: 9 biggest, most gigantic sharks on the planet"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some of the world\u2019s\u00a0most gigantic creatures<\/a>\u00a0can be found in the ocean. That\u2019s because the buoyant water supports their weight so they can reach even more extreme sizes.\u00a0Among the most famous animals in our seas are sharks – but many people don\u2019t realise there are more than 500 different species<\/a>. So, which are the largest?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Well, it slightly depends on what you\u2019re asking: the list differs if you\u2019re talking about average size, maximum size or the biggest specimen ever recorded. Plus, are you including extinct species<\/a>? And, of course, we only know about the individuals that have been measured by science \u2013 there may well be even bigger brutes gliding through deep waters far offshore that will never come across a human in their lifetime.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Based on current records, these are some of the largest sharks currently living on Earth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

9 biggest sharks
\nWhale shark\u00a0(Rhincodon typus)
\n\"whaleWirestock\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

When tourists snorkel with\u00a0whale sharks<\/a>, they can find themselves swimming alongside gigantic fish around eight metres long \u2013 that\u2019s bigger than a\u00a0saltwater crocodile<\/a>. And these aren\u2019t even fully grown.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Often, the whale sharks that gather in shallow coastal areas (where tourists can visit) are juveniles. Adult males grow slightly larger (to around nine metres) but females can get to around 14 metres \u2013 longer than a shipping container. And one \u2018mega momma\u2019 found in\u00a02001<\/a>\u00a0was larger than a humpback whale<\/a>, at an astonishing 18.8 metres.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite their size, these enormous fish are harmless to humans. Their diet of tiny plankton might even be the reason they grow to such epic proportions. \u201cIn the ocean, there is a clear correlation between large body size and plankton-feeding animals,\u201d explains\u00a0Marine Megafauna Foundation<\/a>\u00a0on its website. \u201cAs whale sharks filter feed on plankton, their size might have developed as an evolutionary advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Basking\u00a0shark\u00a0(Ceterhinus maximus)
\n\"baskingRebecca-Belleni-Photography\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

In second place is another plankton eater: the\u00a0basking shark<\/a>. Growing up to around 12 metres, these behemoths can be longer than a bus and their mouths alone can be one-metre wide. They swim along at the surface of the water \u2013 looking like they\u2019re basking in the sun, hence their name \u2013 with their enormous mouths<\/a> gaping wide to try to catch as many tiny plankton as possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sharks spend much of the summer months at the sea’s surface, moving slowly,\u201d writes the\u00a0Natural History Museum<\/a> on its website. \u201cYou have the best chance of seeing one on a sunny day, when the shark’s zooplankton food source will be most abundant at the surface.\u201d<\/p>\n

Great white shark\u00a0(Carcharodon carcharias)
\n\"greatFOTOKITA\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Of course, this roundup wouldn\u2019t be complete without the iconic\u00a0great white shark<\/a>. Although not the largest of all shark species<\/a>, these big brutes are definitely up there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Adults typically grow to a little more than four metres but they can get even bigger. \u201cThere are many claims of huge specimens up to 10 m (33 ft) in length,\u201d says\u00a0Guinness World Records<\/a>\u00a0on its website. \u201cAlthough few have been properly authenticated, there is plenty of circumstantial evidence to suggest that some great whites grow to more than 6 m (20 ft) in length.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Guinness World Records, white sharks hold the crown for the largest carnivorous shark on the planet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tiger shark\u00a0(Galeocerdo cuvier)
\n\"tigerTom Armitage\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Another well-known predator is the voracious\u00a0tiger shark<\/a>. Usually growing three or four metres long (but some individuals measured at 5.5 metres), these predators aren\u2019t fussy when it comes to what they eat. Known as the \u201ctrash can of the sea\u201d, they\u2019ll eat pretty much anything.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus)
\n\"greenlandNOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n

While some sharks are undeniably striking and elegant, others are\u2026 well, less so. The grizzled, cigar-shaped Greenland shark might not be as sleek as the\u00a0mako shark<\/a>\u00a0or as beautiful as the\u00a0blue shark<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But they\u2019re obviously doing something right as they can live longer than any other vertebrate on Earth. Greenland sharks are thought to live for around\u00a0400 years<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

These huge sharks, which may grow to more than six metres (but are more typically between two and 4.5 metres), live in the icy waters of the Arctic and North Atlantic.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To survive in these cold waters<\/a>, they have high levels of urea and a chemical called trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) in their tissues. These act like anti-freeze and stop ice crystals forming inside their bodies \u2013 but they also make their flesh toxic (which is why Icelandic communities dry and ferment Greenland shark meat before eating it).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran)
\n\"greatDavid Keep\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Another of the world\u2019s most recognisable sharks is also among the largest: the great hammerhead. There are at least 10 different species of hammerhead, some of which are much smaller: for example, the diminutive bonnethead shark is only 1.5 metres long (and also feeds on seagrass!)<\/p>\n

By comparison,\u00a0the great hammerhead<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 which is usually four or five metres long but can reach around six meters \u2013 is a giant. As well as its funny-shaped face, the great hammer is known for its iconic dorsal fin, which can be more than one metre high (taller than a\u00a0St. Bernard)<\/a>. It\u2019s the tallest dorsal fin of any shark (relative to body size).<\/p>\n

Thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus)
\n\"thresherkittisun kittayacharoenpong\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Thresher sharks<\/a>\u00a0owe much of their large size to their elongated tail<\/a>, which can make up half the length of their entire body. These don\u2019t just look cool (although they do as well) but play an important role in the sharks’ survival. When hunting, thresher sharks use their tail like a whip to send shockwaves through the water and stun their prey, leaving them defenceless and ready to be gobbled up.<\/p>\n

There are three species of thresher: the common (Alopias vulpinus), bigeye (Alopias superciliosus) and pelagic (Alopias pelagicus). The common thresher shark is the largest of the three, growing between three and six metres long.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bluntnose sixgill shark (Hexanchus griseus)
\n\"BluntnoseNOAA Ocean Explorer from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n

Not all massive sharks are as famous as the iconic white, tiger and hammerhead sharks. The\u00a0bluntnose sixgill shark\u00a0<\/a>is a deep-sea beast that can also grow to huge sizes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBluntnose sixgill sharks can grow to an impressive 5.5 metres in length,\u201d Aaron Judah, a marine biologist at\u00a0National Geographic Pristine Seas,<\/a>\u00a0told BBC Wildlife via email. \u201cThey are true apex predators<\/a> of the deep, feeding on everything from squids<\/a> and bony fish to marine mammals and sharks, and they act as important scavengers<\/a> on dead animals fallen to the sea floor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Judah has come eye-to-eye with one of these incredible creatures in a deep-sea submarine, saying the inspiring moment was \u201cone of the highlights and honours of [his] career\u201d. But it\u2019s also possible to see them in shallower seas, if you go to the right place. \u201cYou can even dive with them in colder locations such as British Columbia, Canada where they are known to come into shallow water,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Judah\u2019s encounter with a bluntnose sixgill shark will be imprinted on his memory. \u201cThese animals are likely quite long-lived, so seeing a large, presumably old adult in their natural habitat coming to check you out really feels like you have entered another world, one that belongs to them,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pacific sleeper shark (Somniosus pacificus)
\n\"pacificNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n

A large shark that many people may not have heard of is the\u00a0Pacific sleeper shark.<\/a>\u00a0This species is known to grow over four metres long but there have been reports of individuals reaching as large as\u00a0seven metres<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Their name is somewhat misleading. \u201cPacific sleeper sharks are actually not sleepy at all,\u201d writes\u00a0Alaska Department of Fish and Game<\/a>\u00a0on its website. Although these animals were long thought to be sluggish sharks that ambled slowly along the seabed, more recent discoveries have proved that this isn\u2019t accurate. \u201cThey spend little time on the bottom. Instead, they move continuously in the water column and are voracious stealth predators of fast-moving prey.\u201d<\/p>\n

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