Megalodons, the largest sharks that ever lived, once dominated the
Earth's ocean, dwarfing even today's largest great white sharks.
In this video, we'll explore just how massive these prehistoric
predators were and why there's so much debate among scientists
about their true size.
First, let's compare megalodons to great white sharks.
Great whites are already formidable, with males reaching 13 feet
and females growing up to 16 feet, weighing between 900
and more than 7000 lbs.
But megalodons were in a league of their own.
Their teeth could be up to seven inches long, and
estimates suggest they could be between 50 and 65 feet
with a body mass of over 200,000 lbs, about 50
times the size of the largest great white sharks today,
though determining the exact size of megalodons is challenging due
to a lack of complete skeletons.
Shark skeletons are mostly cartilage, which decompose quickly after death.
Scientists have to rely on fossilized teeth and bone damage
to estimate the size of these giants.
Traditional estimates based on tooth length suggest megalodons were between
50 and 60 feet long.
However, a 2021 study, which measured tooth width instead suggested
they could be as long as 65 feet long.
Understanding what megalodons ate helps explain their massive size.
These predators likely feasted on large sea creatures like whales,
sea turtles, and other sharks.
Their enormous size and strength made them capable of tackling
some of the biggest marine animals of all time.
Megalodons went extinct between 2:00 and 4:00 million years ago,
possibly due to global sea level changes and cooling oceans
that affected their preferred warm coastal habitats and prey availability.
Despite their extinction, megodons continue to capture our imagination, leaving
behind clues that keep scientists and shark enthusiasts fascinated.