[8][3][6] It was about the size of the modern great white shark, reaching 4.9–5.1 metres (16–17 ft) long.

[3][9] Its growth curve shows that it grew at a slower rate than the modern great white shark.

The tooth morphology is most similar to the extant great white, in having labiolingually flattened triangular cusps with serrated edges.

The dentition differs from the extant species in having a distally-inclined upper intermediate tooth (it is mesially-inclined in the great white).

[10]The development of serrated edges on the teeth of C. hubbelli suggest a shift in its diet to rely more on marine mammals as in C. carcharias.