Scientists rebuild megalodon’s body – and it’s not what you think

For millions of years, Megalodon ruled the oceans. Growing up in size that dwarf that today’s largest sharks, this icon is probably the most controversial animal, despite disappearing from our planet long ago. However, many mysteries surround this high predator. For example, how did they really look like? There was long confidence that Megalodon was merely a great version of the great white shark. But a new study led by paleobiologist Kenshu Shimada from Depaul University, with contributions from 28 scholars around the world, has reformulated how scientists think of this prehistoric giant. Published Palaeontologia electronicThe study challenges this idea; Analyzing the size of the body from a wide range of modern and missing sharks, scientists suggest that Megalodon had a graceful body, more similar to today’s lemon shark (Negaprite Brevirostris).

Officially known as Otodus megalodonMegalodon lived between 15 and 3.6 million years ago, but his full skeleton has never been found. Instead, scientists rely on its toothed massive teeth and fossilized beads to evaluate its size and shape. One of the most complete vertebral specimens, discovered in Belgium, measures 36 meters (11 meters) tall, but it only represents the shark luggage – its head and tail were missing.

To evaluate its full size, researchers examined the body size of 145 modern shark species and 20 missing ones. Based on their findings, they determined that Megalodon’s head was likely to make up about 16.6% of its total body length, while its tail accounted for about 32.6%. Applying this to the Belgian specimen, the total shark length would have been approximately 54 meters (16.4 meters), with a head of 6 meters (1.8 meters) and a 12 -foot tail (3.6 meters). However, another beads fossilized by Denmark, measuring up to 9 inches (23 centimeters), suggest that some individuals may have been even greater. If those beads belonged to the larger megalodons, their full body length could have reached an amazing 80 meters (24.3 meters) … making them one of the greatest sharks ever existing! The study also estimated that a megalodon of this size would have weighed about 94 tons.

So what does that mean? We already knew that “Meg” was a big shark, but this is the first test that shows that it was likely to have a thinner body than the big modern white shark. While the big whites are of the action and become even larger as they grow, the big marine vertebrates like whale sharks (Rhincodon tipus), Basket sharks (Chetorhinus Maximus), and even whales tend to have prolonged, effective bodies. Why change in body shape? Well, stock bodies create more crawling, making it more difficult to move through water efficiently. Researchers believe that hydrodynamic restrictions are likely to prevent large whites from growing beyond 23 feet (7 meters), while the most effective megalodon form allowed it to reach much larger sizes.

Beyond the size of the body, the study also explored the growth and lifestyle of megalodon. Fossilized vertebrae analysis suggests that the baby’s megalodons were already massive at birth, measuring between 12 and 13 meters (3.6-3.9 meters) long. Like modern big whites, they are likely to practice a form of cannibalism in the uter (embryos eating unherent eggs to promote their early development). The study also found that the rated velocity of navigation of megalodon, based on the structure of its scales, was between 1.3 and 2.2 miles (2.1-3.5 kilometers) per hour, comparable to that of the large white sharks of today.

Perhaps one of the most intriguing implications of this study is what detects about megalodon’s disappearance. Despite their body shape changes, the study supports the idea that the growth of the large white shark about 5 million years ago may have played a role in the megalodon decline. Both species are likely to compete for similar prey, and the most adaptable white may have summarized its giant neighbor.

“Many interpretations we have made are still probative, but they are directed from the data and will serve as reasonable reference points for future studies on O. Megalodon’s biology,” said Paleobiology Professor Kenshu Shimada from Depaul University, who hopes that a full scaffolding would be discovered one day to be able to interpret. Until then, this research offers the best look still in one of the most scary predators to ever swim the seas.