🦈 Bull shark vs Great white shark 🦈
The great white shark is about twice as long as the bull shark. The great white shark weighs about 20 times as much as the bull shark.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦈 Bull shark | 🦈 Great white shark |
|---|---|---|
| Size The great white shark is about twice as long as the bull shark. | 7.5 to 9.3 ft2.3 to 2.8 m1 | 20 ft6.1 m2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the bull shark yet. | no checked number yet | 35 mph56 km/h3 |
| Weight The great white shark weighs about 20 times as much as the bull shark. | 209 to 245 lb95 to 111 kg1 | 2 tons1.8 tonnes2 |
| Lives The great white shark usually lives about one and a half times as long as the bull shark. | 32 years32 years1 | 30 to 70 years30 to 70 years2 |
| Eats The bull shark eats fish; the great white shark eats meat. | mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays, and also crabs | seals, sea lions, fish and dead whales |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | warm, shallow coastal seas, and also rivers and lakes | cool coastal seas around the world |
Which one? Bull shark or great white shark
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the bull shark yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
10 things to know about Bull shark vs Great white shark
- The bull shark: A sturdy shark that can swim in salt water and in fresh water.
- The great white shark: The biggest fish that hunts, with rows of spare teeth waiting.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are fish.
- The great white shark is about twice as long as the bull shark: 2 against 1.
- The great white shark weighs about 20 times as much as the bull shark. That is 1 for the bull shark and 2 for the great white shark.
- The great white shark usually lives about one and a half times as long as the bull shark. Usual lifespans: 1 for the bull shark and 2 for the great white shark.
- The bull shark eats mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays, and also crabs. The great white shark eats seals, sea lions, fish and dead whales.
- The bull shark lives in warm, shallow coastal seas, and also rivers and lakes. The great white shark lives in cool coastal seas around the world. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The bull shark: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 4
- The great white shark: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 5
Wow facts
🦈 Bull shark
- A bull shark can swim in salt water and in fresh water.
- It is the only shark that can stay in fresh water for a long time.
- It eats mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays.
🦈 Great white shark
- A great white keeps growing new teeth its whole life.
- It can feel the tiny electric signals of other animals.
- Its body stays warmer than the water around it.
Questions kids ask about Bull shark and Great white shark
Which is bigger, bull shark or great white shark?
The great white shark is about twice as long as the bull shark: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, bull shark or great white shark?
The great white shark weighs about 20 times as much as the bull shark. That is 1 for the bull shark and 2 for the great white shark.
Which lives longer, bull shark or great white shark?
The great white shark usually lives about one and a half times as long as the bull shark. Usual lifespans: 1 for the bull shark and 2 for the great white shark.
What do bull shark and great white shark eat?
The bull shark eats mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays, and also crabs. The great white shark eats seals, sea lions, fish and dead whales.
Where do bull shark and great white shark live?
The bull shark lives in warm, shallow coastal seas, and also rivers and lakes. The great white shark lives in cool coastal seas around the world. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do bull sharks eat great white sharks?
The bull shark eats mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays, and also crabs. Great white sharks are not in that list, which comes from its page. And the great white shark is about twice as long as the bull shark.
Do great white sharks eat bull sharks?
The great white shark eats seals, sea lions, fish and dead whales. Bull sharks are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, bull shark or great white shark?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They can share the same kind of place, and real animals mostly keep out of each other's way. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/bull-shark-vs-great-white-shark
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Carcharhinus leucas (bull shark), checked 10 November 2026.
- NOAA Fisheries, checked 30 October 2026.
- NOAA Science On a Sphere, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.