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Megalodon
The Megalodon Shark
The Megalodon shark (Carcharodon megalodon) is a giant prehistoric shark estimated to grow up to 60 or 70 feet in length. Its weight is comparable to 7 large African elephants weighing 7 tons each! That’s bigger than T-Rex!
Megalodon is a “lamnoid” shark related to modern makos, porbeagles, great white and several extinct species.
How long Megalodon Shark lives
- Megalodon existed around 25 to 1.6 million years ago, during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs. It is now long extinct; however the exact time of its extinction is widely debated.
Habitat of the Megalodon Shark
- Because the earth and its waters were much warmer during the period in which the megalodon lived, this enormous shark was able to thrive nearly everywhere. However, it is believed that much warmer coastal areas were preferred for breeding.
Mega toothed Shark
- Shark fossils are extremely rare as sharks have no bones, only cartilage. Their teeth, however, are made of a bone-like material coated with hard enamel that fossilizes well. Megalodon’s jaws could open to a staggering 6 feet wide and 7 feet high. The jaws are loosely attached by ligaments and muscles to the skull which enables them to open really wide to swallow enormous objects. It could easily swallow a large Great White Shark whole!
In the Shadow of Megalodon
- We will probably never know for sure why Megalodon became extinct. Dispersed distribution, insufficient food, or increased vulnerability of its pups may all have played a role.
Perhaps some other combination of factors conspired to wipe off Megalodon. Yet the White Shark survives to this day. This species may have survived due to its ability to exploit the rich feeding available in cool temperate waters. Yet the White Shark is no more invulnerable as the Megalodon proved to be.
Like other sharks, the Great White matures late in life and has few pups per litter, severely limiting its ability to replace itself.
This reproductive strategy has proven safe in stable environments with few natural enemies. But evolution has simply not equipped the Great White to deal with the most complete and deadly predator the world has ever known- man. It may be the White Shark’s ultimate misfortune to share a planet with us.
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