Most people have heard of the largest shark to ever live. Even before the 2018 sci-fi horror film came out, the megalodon was a well-known name. This massive species used to live in the ocean 3.5. million years ago. While little is known about this shark, scientists have recently solved some new mysteries surrounding it. As it turns out, this shark may have been even bigger than we all imagined.
The Megalodon: New Mysteries Solved About The Largest Shark Ever
USA Today shares research from a new study that was published in the journal "Palaeontologia Electronica." That study shares that the megalodon was more than three times the size of the great white sharks we are familiar with today. Seeing as great whites average between 11 and 26 feet that would mean that this shark would have been between 33 and 78 feet long! That truly is the largest shark every.
While the 2018 film , The Meg, depicted the megalodon as 50-65 feet long, the study claims that it was probably closer to "80 feet in length, roughly the size of two school buses." I don't know about you, but that is not a creature that I would want to come across. Additionally, the study helped uncover other new mysteries about the largest shark ever. For example, many people assume that the megalodon's closest relative is the great white shark. Presumably we think this because the great white is the next largest shark.
However, the study showed that not only is the Megalodon not just a gigantic version of the great white, but it may have closer relatives than the great white as well.
Uncovering New Mysteries About The Largest Shark Ever
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While previous studies did find similarities between the megalodon and great white shark's teeth, this study claims that previous studies only focused on those two species. What if they were to include other species as well? USA Today reports that "The new study compared megalodon fossils with more than 150 living and extinct shark species." The findings showed that the megalodon's body may have more closely resembled that of a lemon shark over a great white. Furthermore, learning that this shark had a leaner and thinner body would have allowed it to move through the water more efficiently.
So if it was able to move efficiently and was clearly the largest shark ever, how did it go extinct? Well the study examined that as well. This is where the great white sharks come into play. USA Today shared that "The fossil record and 'inferred growth patterns,' suggests that the rise of the great white shark, and the competition it brought, actually helped lead to the demise of the megalodon."
With competitors for food moving in only the strongest will survive. While the megalodon may have had size on its side, the smaller bodies of the great white may have allowed them to move for efficiently, causing them to come out on top. As scientists continue to study this fascinating creature I am sure they will uncover even more new mysteries.
