Megalodon Shark

The unique physical feature that made megalodon shark well-known to all of us is its giant sized tooth. In fact, its name megalodon means "big tooth" in Greek. Its scientific name is Carcharodon megalodon which was postulated by a Swiss palentologist Louis Agassiz in 1835. This species of marine fish dominated the deep sea water from the Oligocene to Pleistocene epochs, which is almost 25 to 1.5 million years ago. It is believed that this monstrous shark was so robust that it was capable of swallowing up an entire elephant!

Megalodon Shark Facts

Research studies have found that the megalodon shark is one of the largest carnivorous prehistoric fish that existed in the history of vertebrates on the earth. The length of the body of this biggest shark of all times was approximately 67 feet (or 20.3 meters). Its body weight was roughly estimated to be around 70 tons. It is surprising that this huge body did not have a single bone in it. It consisted of only cartilage. For this reason, the body of the shark never fossilized well.

The much talked about teeth of megalodon shark was extremely hard which could be made up of some bone like materials and were covered up with hard enamel. The structure of its teeth had a lot of similarity with that of the present day white shark but were bigger and thicker. It had long, sharp teeth which were hundred in number. They were about 6 to 7 inches in length and were arranged in 3 to 5 rows. The megalodon used its teeth on a rotational basis. The front set of teeth performed maximum work. When teeth were lost or there was damage to one or more of its tooth, they were all replaced with new ones. Its style of eating was quite different. It never chewed its food but gulped it down as large chunks.

The large teeth of the shark were adequately supported by strong and stout jaws. When opened, the size of the jaw was 6 feet (1.8 m) in width and 7 feet (2.1 m) in height. A large great white shark could be easily swallowed through the opening of its jaw. The jaws were attached to the skull with ligaments and muscles. Another important body part of this shark was its large and thick fins which helped in the movement of its massive body through the water.

Paleontologists consider these sharks were super predators. Its diet mainly consisted of whales. However, it also ate other marine animals like dolphins, sea lions, seals and other sharks as well. As it was the largest carnivore living in the water, it had a wide variety of choices available! It is believed that the large tail and strong teeth of the shark helped in hunting down the prey. The tail was first used to stun the prey and the teeth was then used to grasp, which would then slice through the bones.

Megalodon sharks preferred to live in those areas where the ocean water was warm. The era in which megalodon lived, the ocean water used to be much warmer than what it is today. Therefore, it was found all across the world. The fossils of its teeth have been found in Europe, India, Australia, New Zealand, North and South America. At the time of breeding they needed a more warmer climate. Hence, they used to move near the coastal areas.

All the information that has been gathered so far, is based upon the studies of partially preserved skeletal remains of these extinct animals. It is mainly the teeth of the shark that fossilized very well, and provided us enough information about this marine creature. Most probably, it became extinct some 1.5 million years ago. The exact cause behind its extinction is not clearly known. Theoretical studies suggest that climatic change could be one of the possible reason. As the ocean water cooled down, there was scarcity in its food supply that ultimately led to its extinction.