Whale Shark vs. Sperm Whale: Which Deep Sea Giant Would Win in a Fight?

Both whale sharks and sperm whales are sea giants. While it’s easy to imagine a fight between the two, it’s not clear how these colossal creatures would actually duke it out. This article explores a conceptual battle of whale shark vs. sperm whale. We’ll compare their vital stats to figure out which would come out on top.

Whale Shark vs. Sperm Whale: Species Overview

Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are a filter-feeding carpet shark species found in the warm seas of Belize, Mexico, Ecuador, Australia, and South Africa. They can grow to a colossal 60 feet, making them the world’s largest fish. Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) are pelagic mammals found in all the world’s oceans, but chiefly in waters near New England, Alaska, the West Coast, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Pacific Islands. They’re the largest-toothed whales and can grow to a massive 52 feet.

Let’s compare these underwater giants and discover who would win if they came to blows.

Comparing a Whale Shark and a Sperm Whale

What Are Key Differences Between a Whale Shark and a Sperm Whale?

Both species are huge, but the key differences are speed, maximum diving depths, and size. These unique qualities will decide who will prevail in the battle between whale shark vs. sperm whale.

Whale Shark vs. Sperm Whale: Size

Sperm whales are the largest toothed predators on Earth. These gigantic creatures reach 52 feet in length. Males tend to grow to larger sizes than females, who usually top out at 40 feet.

Whale sharks are the biggest sharks alive. They can reach 40-60 feet, a few feet longer than sperm whales. If the length were the distinguishing factor, then whale sharks would win.

In terms of weight, sperm whales reach a whopping 35-45 tons, and whale sharks can weigh up to 60 tons. Of course, there’s lots of variation given age and food availability, but between a healthy adult sperm whale and a healthy adult whale shark, the whale shark would weigh more. This would give it an advantage in a fight, as it could slam its heavier bulk into the sperm whale. However, sperm whales are no lightweights. They could likely withstand the blows from the heavier whale shark.

Whale Shark vs. Sperm Whale: Speed and Movement

Sperm whales have massive fluke tails that measure up to 16 feet long. Despite their massive bulk, these mega-tails propel them forward at 23 miles per hour. In contrast, whale sharks are slow. Their top speed is only around three miles per hour. In a chase, a sperm whale would easily catch a whale shark. On the other hand, a sperm whale could easily outrun a whale shark.

In addition, sperm whales dive to 10,000 feet to hunt, whereas experts have recorded whale sharks only reaching a maximum of 6,000 feet. If a sperm whale chased a whale shark, it couldn’t escape by diving.

However, whale sharks are fish that breathe in water, while sperm whales are pelagic mammals that breathe air. Experts have recorded sperm whales holding their breath for 90 minutes on deep dives. However, a whale would eventually suffocate if a whale shark found a way to trap it underwater.

Whale Shark vs. Sperm Whale: Defenses

Both species are huge ocean dwellers, and their behemoth sizes repel potential predators.

Whale sharks have extremely thick skin up to 6 inches deep and a massive tail that could be used to thump an attacking sperm whale. Some species of sperm whales defecate and thrash around to churn up the ocean water like a blender and use the smokescreen to cover their escape, but scientists haven’t seen giant sperm whales using this tactic. Much the same as whale sharks, sperm whales’ main defense mechanism is their massive size.

However, female sperm whales form bonds with other females in social units. These group friendships last for a lifetime, and it’s likely if one was threatened, other female sperm whales would help defend her. In contrast, whale sharks are solitary.

When it comes to defenses, sperm whales have the advantage.

Whale Shark vs. Sperm Whale: Offensive

Sperm whales have more offensive capabilities than whale sharks. For starters, they have an enormous head that makes up a third of their body length. This massive head is a potentially lethal battering ram. Given its ability to swim at 23 mph, it could devastate a whale shark if it approached from below and hit it squarely in the stomach.

Whale sharks have been observed smashing into balls of fish prey, so this could turn into quite the battering match. However, given a sperm whale’s superior speed, it’s most likely it would defeat a whale shark.  

Sperm whales use echolocation to locate prey, so they can sneak up on a whale shark and take it by surprise. They use their noses to echolocate prey using a series of clicks. This allows them to hunt in deep water without much light. Sperm whales are the loudest animals on Earth. They actually produce sounds at 233 decibels. On the other hand, whale sharks don’t use echolocation. Experts think they sniff out their food, then glide along with a wide-open mouth that filters anything they find.

Sperms whales don’t have chewing or tearing teeth. To eat, they use suction to pull in prey. Even though whale sharks have over 300 teeth in a 5-foot-wide mouth (plus tiny teeth on their eyeballs!), they, too, are filter feeders. In a fight between a sperm whale vs. a whale shark, teeth slashing would not be an option. All would depend on ramming and tail-whacking.  

Whale Shark vs. Sperm Whale: Predatory Behavior

Two million years ago, sperm whales’ ancestor was Livyatan mellvillei. It had one of the biggest bites to ever exist on Earth, and it hunted down huge baleen whales and killed them before feasting on their bodies. Sperm whales don’t hunt that way. They rely on suction and swallow rays, skates, and squid whole. However, their ancestry may give them the edge when it comes to predatory behavior. Despite being the world’s largest shark, whale sharks filter feed on smaller plankton and crustaceans.

Both species are peaceful. Attacks on humans are rare, but sperm whales, on occasion, may bash boats. Whale sharks are less likely to exhibit predatory behavior. They’ll even let divers hang onto their fins, and no documented attacks on humans exist.

The sperm whale has more predatory behaviors, even if they are minimal.

Who Would Win in a Fight Between a Whale Shark and Sperm Whale?

In the battle between a whale shark and a sperm whale, a sperm whale would win.

Sperm whales echolocate unsuspecting prey and swim faster, and their large, hard heads and 16-foot-long fluke tails can substantially batter. In addition, female sperm whales form social groups, so the ladies would have a backup.

However, despite its gentler nature, a whale shark would not be a pushover. They have larger bodies and weigh more, so it would take a long time for a sperm whale to emerge victorious. There’s also the possibility that water-breathing whale sharks could trap a pelagic mammal sperm whale underwater, which would lead to suffocation after 90 minutes.