🦈 Great white shark vs Shortfin mako 🦈
The great white shark is about one and a half times as long as the shortfin mako. The great white shark weighs about 20 times as much as the shortfin mako.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦈 Great white shark | 🦈 Shortfin mako |
|---|---|---|
| Size The great white shark is about one and a half times as long as the shortfin mako. | 20 ft6.1 m1 | 10 to 12 ft3.2 to 3.8 m2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the shortfin mako yet. | 35 mph56 km/h3 | no checked number yet |
| Weight The great white shark weighs about 20 times as much as the shortfin mako. | 2 tons1.8 tonnes1 | 132 to 298 lb60 to 135 kg2 |
| Lives The great white shark usually lives about one and a half times as long as the shortfin mako. | 30 to 70 years30 to 70 years1 | 29 to 32 years29 to 32 years2 |
| Eats The great white shark eats meat; the shortfin mako eats fish. | seals, sea lions, fish and dead whales | mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | cool coastal seas around the world | open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface |
Which one? Great white shark or shortfin mako
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the shortfin mako 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 Shortfin mako
- The great white shark: The biggest fish that hunts, with rows of spare teeth waiting.
- The shortfin mako: A sleek open-ocean shark that travels far across the sea.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are fish.
- The great white shark is about one and a half times as long as the shortfin mako: 1 against 2.
- The great white shark weighs about 20 times as much as the shortfin mako. That is 1 for the great white shark and 2 for the shortfin mako.
- The great white shark usually lives about one and a half times as long as the shortfin mako. Usual lifespans: 1 for the great white shark and 2 for the shortfin mako.
- The great white shark eats seals, sea lions, fish and dead whales. The shortfin mako eats mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid.
- The great white shark lives in cool coastal seas around the world. The shortfin mako lives in open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The great white shark: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 4
- The shortfin mako: in danger (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.
🦈 Shortfin mako
- A shortfin mako travels very long distances.
- Females are bigger than males.
- It lives in warm and cool seas around the world.
Questions kids ask about Great white shark and Shortfin mako
Which is bigger, great white shark or shortfin mako?
The great white shark is about one and a half times as long as the shortfin mako: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, great white shark or shortfin mako?
The great white shark weighs about 20 times as much as the shortfin mako. That is 1 for the great white shark and 2 for the shortfin mako.
Which lives longer, great white shark or shortfin mako?
The great white shark usually lives about one and a half times as long as the shortfin mako. Usual lifespans: 1 for the great white shark and 2 for the shortfin mako.
What do great white shark and shortfin mako eat?
The great white shark eats seals, sea lions, fish and dead whales. The shortfin mako eats mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid.
Where do great white shark and shortfin mako live?
The great white shark lives in cool coastal seas around the world. The shortfin mako lives in open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do great white sharks eat shortfin makos?
The great white shark eats seals, sea lions, fish and dead whales. Shortfin makos are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Do shortfin makos eat great white sharks?
The shortfin mako eats mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid. Great white sharks are not in that list, which comes from its page. And the great white shark is about one and a half times as long as the shortfin mako.
Who would win, great white shark or shortfin mako?
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-mako-shark
Where these numbers come from
- NOAA Fisheries, checked 30 October 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Isurus oxyrinchus (shortfin mako), 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.