How many mechanical sharks were used in Jaws?
Matthew Cannon
Updated on January 19, 2026
There were actually three fake sharks. Two were mounted on an arm like a crane, which ran along submerged steel rails allowing a run of more than 50ft in a straight line. One could be filmed from the left, the other from the right.
Were any real sharks used in Jaws?
'Jaws' filmed a great white shark attacking the boatThey needed to make the scene with Hooper (played by Richard Dreyfuss) in the cage look legit, and they hired professional shark photographers to capture images. However, the sharks appeared too small.