The 10 Largest Sharks In The World

Even if most of these guys are pretty tame, I still wouldn’t want to mess with any of ‘em.

10. Bigeye Thresher Shark

Scientific name: Alopias superciliosus
Largest recorded: 16ft, 800lbs
Danger to humans: none
Other facts: its eyes have been recorded as reaching a diameter of up to 3.9in

Source: en.wikipedia.org

9. Bluntnose Sixgill Shark

Scientific name: Haxanchus griseus
Largest recorded: 18ft, 880lbs
Danger to humans: very little
Other facts: often referred to colloquially as the ‘cow shark,’ as it is quite sluggish

Source: en.wikipedia.org

8. Thresher Shark

Scientific name: Alopias vulpinus
Largest recorded: 20ft, 1100lbs
Danger to humans: very little, though divers have been injured by its huge tail
Other facts: one of the only sharks that will fully breach the water’s surface, like dolphins

Source: en.wikipedia.org

7. Great Hammerhead Shark

Scientific name: Sphyma mokarran
Largest recorded: 20ft, 1280lbs
Danger to humans: supposedly the most aggressive of hammerheads, aided by its large size and sharp teeth, but actual encounters are rare

Source: en.wikipedia.org

6. Greenland Shark

Scientific name: Somniosus microphalus
Largest recorded: 21ft, 2200lbs
Danger to humans: none
Other facts: can live up to 200 years (longest living vertebrate)

Source: en.wikipedia.org

5. Pacific Sleeper Shark

Scientific name: Somniosus pacificus
Largest recorded: 23ft, 800lbs
Danger to humans: none
Other facts: sleeper sharks and the Sperm Whale are the only two creatures that feed on full-size giant and colossal squid (which can grow up to 46ft long)

Source: en.wikipedia.org

4. Tiger Shark

Scientific name: Galeocerdo cuvier
Largest recorded: 25ft, 6900lbs
Danger to humans: very high, second only to the great white shark in total number of attacks on humans, as they hang out in shallow reefs, harbors, and canals
Other facts: considered sacred by some native Hawaiians, who believe its eyes have the ability to see more than just what’s immediately around them

Source: en.wikipedia.org

3. Great White Shark

Scientific name: Carcharodon carcharias
Largest recorded: 26.2ft, 5000lbs
Danger to humans: very high, like the tiger shark, great whites are an apex predator that will eat ‘almost anything,’ and have the highest recorded number of fatal attacks on humans, despite that they are not the great whites’ preferred diet
Other facts: fear of these sharks was relatively low until the release of Jaws

Source: en.wikipedia.org

2. Basking Shark

Scientific name: Cetorhinus maximus
Largest recorded: 40ft, 38,000lbs
Danger to humans: none, basking sharks are filter feeders and are friendly and curious about humans; a divers’ favorite
Other facts: called the ‘basking’ shark because, though they winter in deep waters, during warmer months they feed at the surface at the warmest areas

Source: en.wikipedia.org

1. Whale Shark

Scientific name: Rhincodon typus
Largest recorded: 41.5ft, 47,000lbs / 75ft, 79,000lbs (unconfirmed)
Danger to humans: none, like the basking shark they are friendly toward humans and have allowed divers to hitch rides on their fins
Other facts: whale sharks are a deity in Vietnamese culture, known as ‘Ca Ong,’ or ‘Sir Fish.’ In Kenya, they are named ‘papa shillingi,’ under the myth that God threw shillings upon the sharks, creating their spots

Source: en.wikipedia.org