What we know about the Megalodon is that it is the largest species of shark ever to swim in our oceans. This is the shark from nightmares, an incredibly terrifying giant from the blue deep that continues to fascinate us to this day.
Despite the Megalodon being completely extinct, we still find fossil remains of this giant to this day. These remains give us a perfect idea of what the Megalodon must have looked like. But do we already know this? Let's take a look at this together in this blog.
What do we know about the Megalodon?
We know that the Megalodon, also known by its scientific name Otodus Megalodon lived about 23 to 3.6 million years ago. This was roughly between the Miocene and also the Pliocene era. The Megalodon is more often compared to today's white shark, what we forget is that the Megalodon was many times larger and also stronger than the white shark. We can only find out about the Megalodon thanks to its teeth and also the only remaining vertebra of this shark species. The rest of all the vertebrae and cartilage have of course long since decayed. So no complete skeletons are found because the Megalodon consisted mainly of cartilage. This bone type does not survive the test of time and generally decays quite quickly. Yet our scientists unleashed a fantastic study on the bones we did manage to find. This still allowed them to get a good idea of the size, shape and also appearance.
Size and weight
What is the most impressive thing about the Megalodon? This is its gigantic size. In fact, this shark was estimated to be 15 to as long as 18 metres, so that is truly gigantic. What we also know is that researchers believe the Megalodon should have been as long as 20 metres. When we compare this with the largest measured white shark of 6 metres, we really see a gigantic difference. The Megalodon must have been as long as the average school bus or even truck. In addition, its weight would also vary between 40,000 kilograms and 70,000 kilograms. This weight is comparable to the weight of about ten adult elephants. So this shark, in short, is the biggest menace in our history. This shark has certainly had no animals above it in the food chain and can truly call itself the apex predator. This animal must have been virtually unstoppable and also had to eat a huge amount to sustain itself.
Teeth and jaw structure
If we know anything about the Megalodon, it is its teeth. These were full of the iconic teeth that we have enjoyed and still enjoy immensely to this day. It is not for nothing that the name "Megalodon" literally means big tooth. Of course, this is not without reason and the Megalodon owes this purely to its giga teeth that could grow up to 17 cm long. This is generally larger than the hand of the average adult for reference. The teeth can be recognised by their triangular shape with sharp serrated edges. These were incredibly important for piercing and also tearing flesh.
The biting power of the Megalodon, then, should certainly not be underestimated. These gigantic jaws were incredibly impressive. When we talk about the greatest biting force in the animal kingdom, we think the Megalodon will be at the top of the list forever. Indeed, this one had a bite force of between 108,000 and 182,000 newtons. This should be about five times stronger than that of a current white shark. This bite force was incredibly welcome to the Megalodon and helped it be able to bite through thick flesh and also bones of prey, think of prey such as the ancestors of: whales, dolphins and also many other large prehistoric marine animals.
Body shape and fins
Of course, it is abundantly clear that no complete skeletons of the Megalodon have been found, this purely due to the amount of cartilage present in the shark species. To study the Megalodon, it is best to compare it with the body shape of the modern shark. Here, then, we are mainly looking at the white shark. So in this one, we assume that the Megalodon had a streamlined and also torpedo-shaped physique. This enabled the shark to move through the water at lightning speed. The giant dorsal fin, pectoral fins and also tail fin were incredibly well developed to support this animal. In addition, it also ensures that the animal could be powerful and also agile.
What we know about sharks is that terrifying dorsal fin when a shark swims towards you through shallow water. Now imagine a dorsal fin that might have been 5 or 6 times its size. Combine this with a muscular tail and you have a giant, terrifying terminator sitting on your roof. The Megalodon must have been a truly efficient swimmer despite its size. Of course, we don't have exact estimates of the Megalodon's swimming speed but we expect that it could be incredibly fast when following its prey.
Colour and skin texture
What the exact colour must have been of the Megalodon we cannot say. This is purely because its skin and also its soft tissues cannot fossilise. For that, we look again at the white shark. These have a contrasting colouration of dark grey or bluish on top and mostly white on the underside. This helps the shark with camouflage, it is of course almost impossible to do, but you should actually try looking at a white shark in its natural environment from different angles. You will see that the animal then displays near-perfect camouflage. Truly something these animals, with their hunting ability, absolutely do not need. Indeed, they are already incredibly difficult to spot from above on the dark blue of the depths and when you look from below also incredibly difficult to differentiate from the light colours that the shark has on its belly but also those of the upper layers of the water. We suspect the Megalodon had similar colouring.
Looking at the textures of the skin, we expected that the Megalodon must have had about the same as the modern shark, namely skin covered with a small tooth-like structure. This is a structure also known as dermal denticles. These structures would have given the Megalodon's skin a rough, sandpaper-like texture, which helped it reduce water resistance and make its movement through the water more efficient.
Eyes and vision
The shark is known to be a perfect hunter because of their keen senses. Indeed, we expect that the Megalodon must have had large eyes that were presumably sharp and especially similar to the modern shark. We know that sharks have a reflective layer behind their retinas, this is also known as the tapetum lucidum, which helps them see in the dark, such as deep in the ocean or in murky water. This would also have been very important for the Megalodon, as it presumably hunted in different ocean depths.
Dietary habits and hunting techniques
We know that the Megalodon was a true apex predator of its time. This essentially means that the Megalodon must have been at the top of the food chain. The Megalodon's diet therefore consisted mainly of many large marine animals, for example: whales, prehistoric versions of dolphins and also other large fish. Because the Megalodon had such gigantic jaws and also teeth, it could easily feed on gigantic prey. As a rule, fossils of whales always show bite marks that could be attributed to the Megalodon. What is striking here is that the Megalodon mainly targeted soft flesh around the fins and also the whale's tails. The aim would then have been to quickly immobilise the animal.
We expect that the Megalodon must possibly have been an active hunter. In fact, the Megalodon would have had to eat its body weight in food per day to keep surviving. What is also said about the Megalodon is that it was a shark that should have had the same hunting practices as today's white shark. The shark would use its brute strength and also speed to attack. Incidentally, the shark would attack from below and possibly even break bones on the first bite.
Appearances and myths
We as humans see the Megalodon as some kind of super shark, mainly due to the movies and also popular culture in which the shark is frankly quite exaggerated. Just look at films like the Meg, in which the Megalodon is portrayed as an unstoppable sea monster, while in reality this shark would not have been invincible. In addition, its appearance would also have been much more in line with that of the modern shark, but many times larger.
Conclusion
We at Megalodontand.nl are therefore fascinated by the Megalodon and its impressive power. This animal ruled our oceans for so incredibly long and is also often depicted as a mythical sea monster. Fortunately, science gives us a good idea of what the Megalodon must have looked like. Thanks to the enormous strength of its jaws and streamlined body shape, the Megalodon was the true apex predator of the oceans.