🦈 Great white shark vs Great hammerhead 🦈
The great white shark and the great hammerhead are about the same size. The great white shark weighs about 4 times as much as the great hammerhead.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦈 Great white shark | 🦈 Great hammerhead |
|---|---|---|
| Size They are about the same size. | 20 ft6.1 m1 | 20 ft6.1 m2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the great hammerhead yet. | 35 mph56 km/h3 | no checked number yet |
| Weight The great white shark weighs about 4 times as much as the great hammerhead. | 2 tons1.8 tonnes1 | 992 lb450 kg2 |
| Lives The great white shark usually lives about one and a half times as long as the great hammerhead. | 30 to 70 years30 to 70 years1 | 30 years30 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | seals, sea lions, fish and dead whales | stingrays and other rays, groupers, sea catfish, crabs and squid |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | cool coastal seas around the world | warm coastal seas around the world, near reefs and the sea floor |
Which one? Great white shark or great hammerhead
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the great hammerhead 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.
10 things to know about Great white shark vs Great hammerhead
- The great white shark: The biggest fish that hunts, with rows of spare teeth waiting.
- The great hammerhead: The biggest hammerhead shark, with a wide, flat head.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are fish.
- The great white shark and the great hammerhead are about the same size: 1 against 2.
- The great white shark weighs about 4 times as much as the great hammerhead. That is 1 for the great white shark and 2 for the great hammerhead.
- The great white shark usually lives about one and a half times as long as the great hammerhead. Usual lifespans: 1 for the great white shark and 2 for the great hammerhead.
- Both eat meat. The great white shark eats seals, sea lions, fish and dead whales; the great hammerhead eats stingrays and other rays, groupers, sea catfish, crabs and squid.
- The great white shark lives in cool coastal seas around the world. The great hammerhead lives in warm coastal seas around the world, near reefs and the sea floor. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The great white shark: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 4
- The great hammerhead: in great danger (Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List). 5
Wow facts
🦈 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.
🦈 Great hammerhead
- A great hammerhead's head is wide and flat like a hammer.
- It lives in warm coastal seas around the world.
- It likes to eat stingrays and other rays.
Questions kids ask about Great white shark and Great hammerhead
Which is bigger, great white shark or great hammerhead?
The great white shark and the great hammerhead are about the same size: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, great white shark or great hammerhead?
The great white shark weighs about 4 times as much as the great hammerhead. That is 1 for the great white shark and 2 for the great hammerhead.
Which lives longer, great white shark or great hammerhead?
The great white shark usually lives about one and a half times as long as the great hammerhead. Usual lifespans: 1 for the great white shark and 2 for the great hammerhead.
What do great white shark and great hammerhead eat?
Both eat meat. The great white shark eats seals, sea lions, fish and dead whales; the great hammerhead eats stingrays and other rays, groupers, sea catfish, crabs and squid.
Where do great white shark and great hammerhead live?
The great white shark lives in cool coastal seas around the world. The great hammerhead lives in warm coastal seas around the world, near reefs and the sea floor. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do great white sharks eat great hammerheads?
The great white shark eats seals, sea lions, fish and dead whales. Great hammerheads are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Do great hammerheads eat great white sharks?
The great hammerhead eats stingrays and other rays, groupers, sea catfish, crabs and squid. Great white sharks are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, great white shark or great hammerhead?
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/great-white-shark-vs-hammerhead-shark
Where these numbers come from
- NOAA Fisheries, checked 30 October 2026.
- FishBase, Sphyrna mokarran (great hammerhead), checked 10 November 2026.
- NOAA Science On a Sphere, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.