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Scientists realize infamous ‘giant shark’ Megalodon is nothing like initial research
New research from the University of California has trashed the belief that the ancient Megalodon was of a similar shape to modern Great White Sharks.�
Since the enormous shark was first discovered by Louis Agassiz in 1835, it has captivated the minds and fears of the general public. In 2024, there are entire subsections of pop culture dedicated to them, with films like The Meg and The Black Demon releasing just recently. But, new research now suggests that those films are even more inaccurate than first believed.�
The Megalodon was a completely different shape
The new study, published in the Palaeontologia Electronica journal, pulled together knowledge from 26 scientists across the globe. Led by Phillip Sternes and Kenshu Shimada, the scientists discovered that the Meg was actually a more slender creature.�
What we knew about Megalodons was primarily based on its teeth and fossilised vertebrae. As such, when envisioning what the prehistoric creature would have looked like, scientists completed the picture using models of modern Great White Sharks.�
Our team reexamined the fossil record, and discovered the Megalodon was more slender and possibly even longer than we thought. Therefore, a better model might be the modern mako shark, said Sternes. It still would have been a formidable predator at the top of the ancient marine food chain, but it would have behaved differently based on this new understanding of its body.
To come to this understanding, the researchers conducted CT scans on whole vertebral skeleton of a living great white shark and compared them with that of the Megalodon.�
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What does this mean?
While the new study does not detract from the predators fierceness, it does suggest that the Megalodon had a long digestive canal.�
With increased ability to digest its food, it could have gone for longer without needing to hunt. This means less predation pressure on other marine creatures, Sternes said. If I only have to eat one whale every so often, whale populations would remain more stable over time.
That new theory challenged the previously held belief that Megalodons went extinct due to food shortages.
Instead, Sternes argued: I believe there were a combination of factors that led to the extinction, but one of them may have been the emergence of the great white shark, which was possibly more agile, making it an even better predator than the Megalodon. That competition for food may have been a major factor in its demise.
The University of California Riversides study now forces scientists to challenge earlier theories relating to the giants lifestyle, habits and eventual extinction.
