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- What was the megalodon shark like?
- When did the megalodon shark become extinct?
- Does megalodon shark currently exist?
- Evidence that the megalodon shark existed
In general, people are fascinated by the animal kingdom, however animals that are depicted with gigantic sizes tend to attract our attention even more. Some of these species of unusual size they still live, while others are known from the fossil record and several are even part of legends told over time.
One of these described animals is the megalodon shark. Reports indicate that this animal would have unusual proportions. So much so that he was considered the biggest fish that ever lived on Earth, what would make this animal a mega predator of the oceans.
Interested in knowing more about this super carnivore? So we invite you to continue reading this PeritoAnimal article so that you can elucidate the unknown and answer: will it be that does megalodon shark exist?
What was the megalodon shark like?
The scientific name of the megalodon shark is Carcharocles megalodon and although it was previously classified differently, there is now a broad consensus that it belongs to the order Lamniformes (to which the great white shark also belongs), to extinct Otodontidae family and the equally extinct genus Carcharocles.
For a long time, several scientific studies, based on estimates of the remains found, proposed that this large shark may have had different dimensions. In this sense, the megalodon shark was assumed to be about 30 meters long, but is this the actual size of the megalodon?
With the advancement of scientific methods for studying fossil remains, these estimates were later discarded and it was now established that the megalodon did indeed have a approximate length of 16 meters, with a head measuring about 4 meters or a little more, with the presence of a dorsal fin that exceeded 1.5 meters and a tail almost 4 meters in height. Without a doubt, these dimensions are of significant proportions for a fish, so that it can be considered the largest of its group.
Some discoveries allowed us to establish that the megalodon shark had a rather large jaw that matched its enormous size. This mandible was composed of four groups of teeth: anterior, intermediate, lateral and posterior. A single tooth of this shark measured up to 168 mm. In general, they are large triangular tooth structures, with the presence of fine grooves at the edges and a convex lingual surface, while the labial surface varies from slightly convex to flat and the dental neck is V-shaped.
The anterior teeth tend to be more symmetrical and larger, while the side teeth hindquarters are less symmetrical. Also, as one moves towards the posterior area of the mandible, there is a slight increase in the midline of these structures, but then it decreases to the last tooth.
In the photo we can see a megalodon shark tooth (left) and a tooth of White shark (right). These are the only real photos of the megalodon shark we have.
Learn more about the different types of sharks that currently exist in this article.
When did the megalodon shark become extinct?
Evidence suggests that this shark lived from the Miocene to the end of the Pliocene, so the megalodon shark went extinct about 2.5 to 3 million years ago.. This species could be found in virtually all oceans and moved easily from coastal to deep waters, with a preference for subtropical to temperate waters.
It is estimated that several geological and environmental events contributed to the extinction of the megalodon shark. One of these events was the formation of the Isthmus of Panama, which brought with it the closing of the connection between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, bringing important changes in ocean currents, temperatures and distribution of marine fauna, aspects that very possibly affected the species in question considerably.
The drop in ocean temperature, the beginning of an ice age and the species decline which were important prey for their food, were undoubtedly decisive and prevented the megalodon shark from continuing to develop in the conquered habitats.
In this other article we talk about prehistoric marine animals.
Does megalodon shark currently exist?
You oceans are vast ecosystems, so that not even all the scientific and technological advances available today allow us to fully understand the abundance of life in marine habitats. This has often led to speculation or the emergence of theories about the real existence of certain species, and the megalodon shark is one of them.
According to some stories, this great shark could inhabit spaces not known by scientists until today, therefore, it would be located in depths that are still unexplored. However, in general for science, the species Carcharocles megalodon is extinct because there is no evidence of the presence of live individuals, which would be the way to confirm or not its possible extinction.
It is generally believed that if the megalodon shark still existed and was off the radar of ocean studies, it would certainly would present significant changes, as it must have adapted to the new conditions that emerged after the transformations in marine ecosystems.
Evidence that the megalodon shark existed
The fossil record is fundamental to being able to determine which species have existed in the Earth's evolutionary history. In this sense, there is a certain record of fossil remains corresponding to the real megalodon shark, mainly several dental structures, remains of jaw and also partial remains of the vertebrae. It is important to remember that this type of fish is mainly composed of cartilaginous material, so over the years, and being under water with high concentrations of salinity, it is more difficult for its remains to be completely preserved.
Fossil remains of the megalodon shark were found mainly in the southeastern United States, Panama, Puerto Rico, Grenadines, Cuba, Jamaica, Canary Islands, Africa, Malta, India, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, which shows that it had a highly cosmopolitan existence.
Extinction is also a natural process within the terrestrial dynamics and the disappearance of the megalodon is one such fact, since humans had not yet evolved until the time when this great fish conquered the world's oceans. If it had coincided, it would certainly have been a terrible problem for humans, because, with such dimensions and voracity, who knows how they would have behaved with the boats that could have transited through these maritime spaces.
The megalodon shark transcended scientific literature and, given the fascination it caused, was also the subject of films and stories, albeit with a high degree of fiction. Finally, it is clear and scientifically proven that this shark populated many of the Earth's marine spaces, but the megalodon shark does not exist today since, as we have already mentioned, there is no scientific proof of this. However, this does not mean that new research cannot locate it.
Now that you know everything about the megalodon shark, you might be interested in this other article where we explain whether unicorns exist or once existed.
If you want to read more articles similar to Does megalodon shark exist?, we recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.