Sea creatures are so distant and different from what our eyes are used to seeing, that sometimes their descriptions sway between reality and fantasy. The megalodon shark is perhaps the clear example of this, since its size has been in speculation by many lovers of extraordinary theories. But according to science and their estimates, this should have been the actual size of the megalodon.
The megalodon is perhaps one of the most iconic ancient sea creatures that has gained great fame today. Either by those who like prehistoric creatures like dinosaurs and ancient sea creatures, or by the influence of Hollywood that has brought it to the present with its movies. The truth is that the megalodon is one of the most recognized animals worldwide, despite the fact that it became extinct some time ago.
the great shark Megalodon existed in the Cenozoic period, between 20 and 2.6 million years ago., but its existence is known thanks to fossil remains found in various areas. Its jaws prove the predatory capacity of this huge shark and its large teeth, which have also been found in various regions, prove that it was a large animal. However, for a long time its actual dimensions were a mystery to science, until research deciphered the great prehistoric shark.
An approximation of actual size
According to researchers from the Universities of Swansea and Bristol, the true size of the megalodon was more than twice that of the white shark. The creature It reached a length of 16 meters and its enormous head exceeded 4 meters in length. Their average dorsal fin 1.62 meters on average and its tail was impressive, reaching 3.85 meters. With such dimensions, the megalodon must have had great force in its bite, with about ten tons of force capable of destroying with great skill.
Comparison of a megalodon tooth with a white shark tooth.
For many years the megalodon has fascinated both scholars of marine life and the general public. And there were already estimates of its size, although some were exceedingly large. Thanks to the fossils of teeth and jaw remains, and the comparison with what was believed to be its closest relative, the white shark, estimates of size were developed.
But the investigations in this regard have advanced a lot and the group of scientists from the Universities of Swansea and Bristol found a great revelation. In fact, the megalodon does not belong to the same family (lamnidae) than the great white shark of today. Rather, it belonged to an already extinct family called odontid, the same that separated from the Lamnidae during the lower Cretaceous, between 115 and 145 million years ago.
However that may be, we now have a closer approximation of what the sheer size of the great megalodon shark might have been. A highly mysterious creature that has drawn attention beyond the scientific community. Thinking that animals of its caliber inhabited the depths of the ocean in the past, undoubtedly raises the biggest unknowns.
References:
Cooper, J. Pimiento, C. Ferrón, H. (2020). Body dimensions of the extinct giant shark Otodus megalodon: a 2D reconstruction. Sci Rep 10, 14596. DOI
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