Differences in Male & Female Sharks

Size

• Female sharks are larger than males sharks because they need the extra room to have enough energy to reproduce, according to ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research. For example, a blue shark female matures at 7 to 11 feet while a blue shark male is mature at 6 to 9 feet. Whale shark females can grow to 41 feet long, while the average male tops out at 31 feet. Shortfin mako shark females reach maturity at 9 feet and the males at 6 feet.

Claspers

• Male sharks have special pelvic fins called claspers on their undersides. These claspers, the most visible differentiating feature between the male and the female, are cartilage that stiffens with calcium deposits as the sharks' age. Males have testes in their internal cavities within the epigonal organ. The sperm is released into the claspers and transferred to the female during mating.

No Claspers

• Females have a cloacal, an opening on their undersides between their pelvic fins. Nothing in the behavior of a shark will indicate it's a female or the mother of a young shark. Neither gender sticks around to care for the young.

Skin Thickness

• In many species, such as the blue shark, the female's skin is thicker than that of the male according to the Canadian Shark Research Institute. The institute says this thicker skin helps protect females during violent mating. Males bite females on the pectoral fins or on their backs to grasp onto them. Scars on the fins and back can indicate the shark is a female.