🦭 California sea lion vs Great white shark 🦈
The great white shark is about 3 times as long as the California sea lion. The great white shark weighs about 8 times as much as the California sea lion.
| Row | 🦭 California sea lion | 🦈 Great white shark |
|---|---|---|
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the California sea lion yet. | no checked number yet | 35 mph56 km/h1 |
| Weight The great white shark weighs about 8 times as much as the California sea lion. | 240 to 701 lb109 to 318 kg2 | 2 tons1.8 tonnes3 |
| Lives The great white shark usually lives about twice as long as the California sea lion. | 20 to 30 years20 to 30 years2 | 30 to 70 years30 to 70 years3 |
| Eats The California sea lion eats fish; the great white shark eats meat. | fish such as anchovies and sardines, and squid | seals, sea lions, fish and dead whales |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | the Pacific coast of North America, from Canada down to Mexico | cool coastal seas around the world |
Which one? California sea lion or great white shark
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the California sea lion 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.
Compare two more
Getting the animals ready…
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/california-sea-lion-vs-great-white-shark
Where these numbers come from
- NOAA Science On a Sphere, checked 30 October 2026.
- NOAA Fisheries, checked 30 October 2026.
- NOAA Fisheries, checked 30 October 2026.