- Length: adult coastal 2.2-3.0 m; adult pelagic 3.3-3.8 m
- Dorsal Fin: moderately high and falcate
- Teeth: conical
- Head: distinct thick beak
- Color: body gray to black dorsally becoming lighter ventrally
- Seasonality: most common in Maryland in the summer and early fall
- Length: adult 1.4-1.7m
- Dorsal Fin: broad-based, low and triangular
- Teeth: spade-shaped
- Head: blunt-nosed
- Color: body dark gray or black dorsally, light gray mid-ventrally, white ventrally
- Seasonality: most common in Maryland in the late winter and spring