🦈 Great white shark vs Orca 🐳
The orca is a bit bigger than the great white shark. They are about the same. The orca weighs about 3 times as much as the great white shark.
| Row | 🦈 Great white shark | 🐳 Orca |
|---|---|---|
| Top speed They are about the same. | 35 mph56 km/h1 | 35 mph56 km/h2 |
| Weight The orca weighs about 3 times as much as the great white shark. | 2 tons1.8 tonnes3 | 4 to 8 tons3.6 to 7.3 tonnes4 |
| Lives The great white shark lives a bit longer than the orca. | 30 to 70 years30 to 70 years3 | 30 to 50 years30 to 50 years4 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | seals, sea lions, fish and dead whales | fish such as salmon, and seals, depending on the pod |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | cool coastal seas around the world | every ocean, from the icy poles to warm seas |
Which one? Great white shark or orca
🏁 Who would win the race?
A photo finish! The great white shark and the orca are about as fast as each other.
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/great-white-shark-vs-orca
Where these numbers come from
- NOAA Science On a Sphere, checked 30 October 2026.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, checked 30 October 2026.
- NOAA Fisheries, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Kenai Fjords National Park, checked 30 October 2026.