| Great White Shark | Giant Squid |
|---|---|
|
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| Wins 96.30% of 1k fights | Wins 3.70% of 1k fights |
In the Fantasy Brawls arena this week we've got two oceanic titans squaring off: the mighty Great White Shark and the terrifying Giant Squid. Both animals are aggressive when provoked and deadly, but what would happen if the two met in an underwater duel? Let's find out by first analyzing their maximum size to see who takes the edge in the size department.
When it comes to overall length, the Giant Squid is much longer than the Great White Shark. The latter can be as long as 20 feet, which makes it the largest predatory fish in the world. A Giant Squid, however, can be 33 - 43 feet long.
However, this length does not translate to much bulk as the Giant Squid weighs only a 1/4 of what a large Great White does. This is because the majority of the squid's body length comes from its tentacles, which aren't very bulky. The mantle (the main housing for its organs) accounts for 50 to 70% of its total body weight.
This area is important as it contains the crucial components of the squid's propulsion system, which will be vital in its battle against the shark. When it comes to size, this is a draw as the Great White is heavier but shorter than the Giant Squid. Let's see who can pull ahead as we examine each animal's power output.
Great White Sharks possess legendary strength; its bite force is measured at over 4,000 psi. This allows it to pierce bone and even whale blubber. Giant Squids are also crazy strong, with each of their countless tentacle suckers packing power rated at 100 psi.
But when it comes to overall power, the Great White Shark is rivaled by only a handful of creatures on the planet, and the Giant Squid is not one of them. The squid's tentacles give it immense grip strength, but that pales in comparison to the explosive raw power of the Great White.
Shark muscles are so powerful that they can be used to launch it as high as 15 feet into the air. Moving a ton of solid shark muscle from underwater to 15 feet in the air requires muscle strength only gods possess. Giant Squids have a very powerful propulsion system, but it is not strong enough to launch their bodies out of the water.
And given that they have much less mass to move, it would indicate that the power difference between these two creatures is tremendous. The advantage in power goes to the Great White Shark. With that out of the way, the final category before the bout is speed.
Since these animals use vastly different means of travel in the ocean, we'll examine them both before crowning a winner in the speed department.
Maximum Speed: Up to 25 mph (40 km/h) during short bursts.
Why They're Fast:
Maximum Speed: Estimated at 15 mph (24 km/h) during bursts of jet propulsion.
Why They're Slower:
The winner of this race is the Great White Shark. The shark has the advantage in two important categories, but is this enough to win the bout? Let's find out when these two creatures step...I mean swim into the battle arena.
Our encounter takes place in the most likely place these two monsters would have overlapping travel, the Mesopelagic Zone. The area, also known as the twilight zone, is about 200 to 1,000 meters deep and is probably the only area a Giant Squid and Great White Shark would meet.
Giant Squids only head up to this area when trying to avoid predators or hunt. We're going with the latter because the squid in our fight is too big to be running from anything. Great Whites mostly hang out near the surface or mid-water but do have the ability to dive 1,200 meters.
In our scenario, the shark is taking a dive due to food scarcity and the Giant Squid is looking around for a meal as well. Both predators are hungry and cross paths and the inevitable happens. The Great White, being more aggressive, lunges first but only comes away with a mouthful of tentacles.
The squid then counters and wraps its powerful, 100 psi suckers around the shark and proceeds to give it the nastiest hug of all time. If this were any other fish, it would be game over, but the shark is so thick that it only leaves superficial wounds.
The only option for the squid is to go in for a bite using its powerful beak in one of the shark's vulnerable areas like its gills. But the shark isn't going to allow that to happen easily as it counters and takes a big chunk out of the Giant Squid's mantle, mortally wounding it and granting it the win.
In this matchup, the Giant Squid became fish food. Great White Sharks are just too big, muscular, and aggressive to take down with the squid's current arsenal and physical strength. The only possible way for a Giant Squid to win is if it fights a much smaller, juvenile shark.
If you enjoyed this matchup and want to check out some more oceanic brawls, head on over to our battle simulator showcasing what happens when an Orca and Shark fight. And to be among the first to know about our new battle simulations and content, consider subscribing to Fantasy Brawls newsletter using the form below.
Posted by: Matt Irving on 12/24/2024
