How big was the shark in Jaws (and comparison to the largest great white sharks ever)

Due to his role in Jaws, Bruce the Shark has an important place in mainstream pop culture. Because of his connection to the franchise, Bruce is without question one of the most iconic creatures in the history of Hollywood. And with his fame and high kill count in JawsIt is no surprise that since the 1970s, he has helped generate a lot of interest in the great white shark species.

Designed by production designer Joe Alves, Bruce was named after director Stephen Spielberg’s lawyer, Bruce Ramer. The name originated as a tongue-in-cheek joke between the cast and crew, however has since been adopted as the Shark’s official moniker by fans. However, in both Jaws And the 1974 novel of the same name, Bruce is never referred to by any specific name but “Jaws.”

The shark in Jaws was 25 feet long

Bruce was made to always be ready for an attack

Modeled after the Great White Shark, the mechanical Bruce the Shark measured 25 feet in length, weighing approximately 3 tons. However, these measurements may be inaccurate compared to Bruce’s real counterparts. According to Elves, The model was designed using dehydrated shark specimens as a reference. In addition, although some Bruce models are made to fulfill different purposes Jaws – For example, one model was specifically designed to be towed behind a barge in order to simulate swimming – each depicted the image of the Great White in its attack position.

The attack position of a great white has its mouth wide open and pulled back. This means that Bruce’s overall length in the attack position may lead to inaccuracies when compared to the actual length of a great white In the attack position or a relaxed position. Additionally, although this would not affect the length of the animatronic, the Bruce model was designed with jowls. As great white sharks do not have jowls, this is an error that was most likely done to disguise the machinery operating the jaws.

How the shark in Jaws compares to the biggest great white sharks in history

Bruce can be bigger than real great white sharks

Bruce’s overall size may have been exaggerated for the purpose of the film. The largest preserved female specimen measured approximately 19 feet in length and weighed approximately 2.2 tons. However, although great whites are primarily known for their size, The average great white is smaller. Adult males typically measure between 11 and 13 feet, and adult females measure 15 to 16 feet.

Still, Bruce’s size can’t be too far off. The Guinness Book of World Records Previously listed two Great White specimens as the largest (by Shark divers). The first, discovered in Australian waters in the 1870s, reportedly measured 36 feet in length. The second was captured in New Brunswick, Canada in the 1930s. It has an estimated length of 37 feet.

Unfortunately, mistakes were made in the measurement and identification of each respective shark. In 1970, American ethologist JE Randall examined the jaws of the Australian shark and deduced that it actually, most likely, measured a length of approximately 16 feet. Likewise, the New Brunswick shark was revealed to be a misidentified basking shark. The basking shark shares a similar build to the great white, which is most likely the root of the confusion. Bruce’s model was probably designed with the false recordings in mindBut it is unclear if Alves was aware of the inaccuracies at the time of production JawsOr if he and Spielberg made the deliberate choice to present the Great White as larger than they really are.

Source: Shark divers