Carcharocles megalodon, sometimes called "megalodon," was the giant shark that ever lived in our waters. Megalodon is well-known for its vast size and sharp teeth. Its name, which comes from Greek and means "big-toothed magnificent shark," is a perfect fit for this vast, dangerous predator with teeth the size of a person's palm.
Megalodons were the biggest and most dangerous predators in the oceans. They may have gone extinct more than 3.5 million years ago, but scientists think they may have found the sharks' young all over the world.
Here are some facts about Megalodon that you may not know-
- The Megalodon was a big animal, but it may not have been as big as you think. Scientists have a lot of different ideas about how giant the Megalodon was. Based on the size of its teeth, some people think the fish could grow to be 60 feet long.
- Megalodon had to be able to open its jaws wide to catch whales, which were much more significant than they were. Its mouth would be about 2.7 to 3.4 meters wide, which is more than big enough to swallow two adults standing next to each other.
- Researchers found that a 52.5-foot-long megalodon probably had a 15.3-foot-long head, a 5.3-foot-tall dorsal fin, and a 12.6-foot-tall tail.
- The Megalodon was the top predator in the food chain. It ate more giant animals in the sea, like whales and dolphins. Discovery says that they may have eaten even more sharks.
- Scientists first tried to figure out how giant the Megalodon was by looking at fossil vertebrae resembling giant ashtrays. In the 1920s, they found a broken backbone in Belgium. It had at least 150 vertebrae.
- Like most dinosaurs, the Megalodon liked to be warm. It hunted in the warm, shallow oceans that covered most of the earth at the time. Megalodon teeth have been found on every continent except Antarctica, but not in Antarctica.
- Sharks lose teeth every one to two weeks, depending on their eating. During their lifetime, they may lose as many as 40,000 teeth. Since megalodon shark jaw always fall to the ocean floor, there is a greater chance that they will turn into fossils there.
- Their skeleton is mainly made of cartilage, which, like other sharks, doesn't change much over time. The closest living shark species to which Megalodon is most closely related is still a very controversial topic among scientists.
- All the evidence shows that Megalodon went extinct between the middle and end of the Pliocene.
To summarize-
Megalodon is fascinating to people for a good reason. It was one of the giant predators that ever lived. These sharks are some of the biggest that has ever lived, but they are no longer around. Many more unknown facts about this giant are yet to be discovered.