List of largest fish

Fish vary greatly in size. The extant whale shark and basking shark exceed all other fish by a considerable margin in weight and length. The extinct Otodus megalodon exceeds all other fish, extant and extinct (excluding tetrapods), in size. Fish in the common usage are a paraphyletic group that describes aquatic vertebrates while excluding the tetrapods, four limbed vertebrates nested within the lobe-finned fish, which include all land vertebrates and their nearest extinct relatives. This list therefore excludes the various marine reptiles and mammals, such as the extinct ichthyosaur, plesiosaur and mosasaur reptiles (none of which are dinosaurs) and the extant sirenia and cetacea mammals (such as the marine tetrapod blue whale, generally considered to be the largest animal known to have ever lived).

Tables

· Largest extant fish

Whale shark

Rank

Name

Whale shark

Binomial name

Rhincodon typus

Taxonomic class

Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous fish)

Known maximum mass (tonnes, lb)

21 tonnes (47,000 lb)

Maximum length [m (ft)]

18 metres (61 ft)

Size comparison to human

Basking shark

Rank

Name

Basking shark

Binomial name

Cetorhinus maximus

Taxonomic class

Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous fish)

Known maximum mass (tonnes, lb)

16 tonnes (35,000 lb)

Maximum length [m (ft)]

14 metres (46 ft)

Size comparison to human

Great white shark

Rank

Name

Great white shark

Binomial name

Carcharodon carcharias

Taxonomic class

Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous fish)

Known maximum mass (tonnes, lb)

3 tonnes (7,330 lb)

Maximum length [m (ft)]

7 metres (23 ft)

Size comparison to human

Tiger shark

Rank

Name

Tiger shark

Binomial name

Galeocerdo cuvier

Taxonomic class

Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous fish)

Known maximum mass (tonnes, lb)

3 tonnes (6,900 lb) (unconfirmed)

Maximum length [m (ft)]

7 metres (25 ft) (unconfirmed)

Size comparison to human

Giant oceanic manta ray

Rank

Name

Giant oceanic manta ray

Binomial name

Mobula birostris

Taxonomic class

Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous fish)

Known maximum mass (tonnes, lb)

3 tonnes (6,600 lb)

Maximum length [m (ft)]

5 metres (16 ft)

Size comparison to human

Giant sunfish

Rank

Name

Giant sunfish

Binomial name

Mola alexandrini

Taxonomic class

Osteichthyes (Bony fish)

Known maximum mass (tonnes, lb)

2 tonnes (6,050 lb)

Maximum length [m (ft)]

3 metres (11 ft)

Ocean sunfish

Rank

Name

Ocean sunfish

Binomial name

Mola mola

Taxonomic class

Osteichthyes (Bony fish)

Known maximum mass (tonnes, lb)

2 tonnes (5,100 lb)

Maximum length [m (ft)]

3 metres (10 ft)

Size comparison to human

Beluga sturgeon

Rank

Name

Beluga sturgeon

Binomial name

Huso huso

Taxonomic class

Osteichthyes (Bony fish)

Known maximum mass (tonnes, lb)

2 tonnes (4,570 lb)

Maximum length [m (ft)]

7 metres (24 ft)

Sharptail mola

Rank

Name

Sharptail mola

Binomial name

Masturus lanceolatus

Taxonomic class

Osteichthyes (Bony fish)

Known maximum mass (tonnes, lb)

2 tonnes (4,400 lb)

Maximum length [m (ft)]

3 metres (9 ft)

Hoodwinker sunfish

Rank

Name

Hoodwinker sunfish

Binomial name

Mola tecta

Taxonomic class

Osteichthyes (Bony fish)

Known maximum mass (tonnes, lb)

1 tonnes (4,100 lb)

Maximum length [m (ft)]

2 metres (7 ft)

Reef manta ray

Rank

Name

Reef manta ray

Binomial name

Manta alfredi

Taxonomic class

Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous fish)

Known maximum mass (tonnes, lb)

1 tonnes (3,100 lb)

Maximum length [m (ft)]

5 metres (18 ft)

Greenland shark

Rank

Name

Greenland shark

Binomial name

Somniosus microcephalus

Taxonomic class

Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous fish)

Known maximum mass (tonnes, lb)

1 tonnes (3,080 lb)

Maximum length [m (ft)]

7 metres (24 ft)

Size comparison to human

Megamouth shark

Rank

Name

Megamouth shark

Binomial name

Megachasma pelagios

Taxonomic class

Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous fish)

Known maximum mass (tonnes, lb)

1 tonnes (2,680 lb)

Maximum length [m (ft)]

5 metres (17 ft)

Kaluga

Rank

Name

Kaluga

Binomial name

Sinosturio dauricus

Taxonomic class

Osteichthyes (Bony fish)

Known maximum mass (tonnes, lb)

1 tonnes (2,500 lb)

Maximum length [m (ft)]

5 metres (18 ft)

Rank	Name	Binomial name	Taxonomic class	Known maximum mass (tonnes, lb)	Maximum length [m (ft)]	Images	Size comparison to human
1	Whale shark	Rhincodon typus	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous fish)	21 tonnes (47,000 lb)	18 metres (61 ft)
2	Basking shark	Cetorhinus maximus	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous fish)	16 tonnes (35,000 lb)	14 metres (46 ft)
3	Great white shark	Carcharodon carcharias	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous fish)	3 tonnes (7,330 lb)	7 metres (23 ft)
4	Tiger shark	Galeocerdo cuvier	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous fish)	3 tonnes (6,900 lb) (unconfirmed)	7 metres (25 ft) (unconfirmed)
5	Giant oceanic manta ray	Mobula birostris	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous fish)	3 tonnes (6,600 lb)	5 metres (16 ft)
6	Giant sunfish	Mola alexandrini	Osteichthyes (Bony fish)	2 tonnes (6,050 lb)	3 metres (11 ft)
7	Ocean sunfish	Mola mola	Osteichthyes (Bony fish)	2 tonnes (5,100 lb)	3 metres (10 ft)
8	Beluga sturgeon	Huso huso	Osteichthyes (Bony fish)	2 tonnes (4,570 lb)	7 metres (24 ft)
9	Sharptail mola	Masturus lanceolatus	Osteichthyes (Bony fish)	2 tonnes (4,400 lb)	3 metres (9 ft)
10	Hoodwinker sunfish	Mola tecta	Osteichthyes (Bony fish)	1 tonnes (4,100 lb)	2 metres (7 ft)
11	Reef manta ray	Manta alfredi	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous fish)	1 tonnes (3,100 lb)	5 metres (18 ft)
12	Greenland shark	Somniosus microcephalus	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous fish)	1 tonnes (3,080 lb)	7 metres (24 ft)
13	Megamouth shark	Megachasma pelagios	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous fish)	1 tonnes (2,680 lb)	5 metres (17 ft)
14	Kaluga	Sinosturio dauricus	Osteichthyes (Bony fish)	1 tonnes (2,500 lb)	5 metres (18 ft)