Animal vs Animal

Pick two animals to compare their real numbers side by side. We compare measurements from NOAA, university and museum sources only; we don't guess who would win a fight.

Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) swimming in open blue water off Isla Guadalupe, Mexico, with a school of small fish
Photo: Terry Goss, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons, resized

Great white shark

Carcharodon carcharias

Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) swimming up toward the surface over a reef, its four flippers and patterned shell clearly visible
Photo: Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, resized

Green sea turtle

Chelonia mydas

Great white sharkGreen sea turtle
Adult size4–7 m (13–23 ft)(animaldiversity.org)0.9–1.2 m (3–4 ft)(fisheries.noaa.gov)
Weightup to 2 metric tons (4,500 lb)(fisheries.noaa.gov)113–200 kg (249–441 lb)(fisheries.noaa.gov)
Lifespan (wild)30–70+ years(fisheries.noaa.gov)70–75+ years(fisheries.noaa.gov)
DietYoung sharks eat fish, squid, rays and smaller sharks. Adults hunt seals and sea lions and also scavenge dead whales.(fisheries.noaa.gov)Young turtles eat a mix of plants and small animals. Adults mostly graze on seagrass and algae.(animaldiversity.org)
HabitatOcean: Temperate and subtropical seas worldwide; in U.S. waters from Alaska to California and Hawaii, and from Maine to the Gulf and Caribbean.(fisheries.noaa.gov)Ocean: Tropical and subtropical seas worldwide, with a non-breeding range from about 40°N to 40°S.(animaldiversity.org)
Conservation statusVulnerable(animaldiversity.org)Endangered(animaldiversity.org)
Great white shark and Green sea turtle next to a person, to scaleGreat white shark: 4–7 m (13–23 ft); Green sea turtle: 0.9–1.2 m (3–4 ft); Person: 1.75 m tall.12P
  1. 1Great white shark 7 m
  2. 2Green sea turtle 1.2 m
  3. PPerson 1.75 m
Drawn to true scale at the largest adult size in our sources, next to a 1.75 m person.

Numbers vary between individuals and studies; each value links to its source. "Human care" means aquariums, zoos or homes.