For the first time, scientists have calculated the size and weight of the largest shark ever to live in the oceans.
Megalodon teeth have been found all over the world, which ruled the oceans for 20 million years until it became extinct about 3 million years ago. However, what he looked like is uncertain. Chowders are cartilaginous fish and their skeletons corrode easily. Scientists have nothing to rely on but the teeth.
Comparisons with the teeth of extant whales indicate that megalodon was 12-20 meters long, and it is often depicted as an overgrown version of a white whale. Now researchers at the University of Bristol in England are drawing a much more detailed picture of this giant ocean.
16 meter terror
On the basis of the body structure of 5 living sharks, scientists have drawn a picture of the extinct megalodon.
1. The back fin provided stability
The small and curved dorsal fin provided stability both during short sprints and longer distances.
2. Wide head gave a powerful bite
Large teeth are evidence that megalodon had powerful jaws and therefore also powerful jaw muscles. It has created a denser and wider head than, for example, a white-tailed deer.
3. High spurs gave drive
As with other hawks, the upper scapula was larger than the lower one. This shape is typical of fish that only use their spurs to propel themselves forward.
Instead of focusing solely on the white-tailed deer, they measured numerous body parts of living white-tailed deer species. On this basis, they calculated what a 16-metre-long hawk would most likely look like, which is twice the length of a white hawk.
The dorsal fin is the size of a human
The results showed that the head of this prehistoric hawk has been 4.65 meters long, the dorsal fin 1.62 meters high and the spur 3.85 meters. Measured from the top of the dorsal fin, it has been 4.53 meters down to the belly.
The scientists assume that, like other large raptors, Megalodon had a rather small, curved dorsal fin.
The head, on the other hand, has been broad due to very powerful biting muscles. Overall, the body structure has been well-suited for quick attacks that require a large increase in speed, but the hawk has also been well-suited to swimming long distances at a more steady pace. In this way, he has been able to search for prey in a large area and grab carcasses on the ocean floor every now and then.
