Size of the Great White Shark ( Carcharodon )

The maximum length of 36.5 feet (11.1 meters) attributed to the white shark ( Carcharodon carcharias ) by Günther and others is a mistake. Examination of the jaws and teeth of the specimen referred to by Günther and comparison with the jaws of white sharks of known length revealed a length of about 17 feet (∼5 meters). The largest white shark reliably measured was a 21-foot (6.4-meter) individual from Cuba. Bites on whale carcasses found off southern Australia suggest that white sharks as long as 25 or 26 feet (7½ or 8 meters) exist today. The size of extinct Carcharodon has also been grossly exaggerated. Based on a projection of a curve of tooth size of Recent Carcharodon carcharias , the largest fossil Carcharodon were about 43 feet (∼13 meters) long.