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How Big are Great White Sharks?

A great white shark next to a giant megatooth shark
(© Mary Parrish/Smithsonian Institution)

Imagine an adult person – now triple that size. That’s the size of the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). The biggest great white sharks can reach up to 20 feet long, but most are smaller. The average female is 15-16 feet long, while males reach 11-13 feet. More about the great white shark can be found in our great white shark overview.

Take the size of an adult person and multiply it ten times, and you get the Giant Megatooth (Carcharocles megalodon) about the size and weight of a railroad car.