Giant extinct megalodon shark. Ancient megalodon shark: description, size, interesting facts Who was megalodon in prehistoric times

We have already briefly analyzed the main “parameters” of the life of Megalodon based on scientific and research data that were at our disposal - nutrition, anatomy, biological features, etc.

Of course, the main question about Megalodon is its localization, i.e. the place of his supposed habitat.

Ancient sharks activate

First, let's look at the panorama of the discovery of ancient or rare species sharks for lately in the World Ocean.

more and more often information is coming about the capture of ancient goblin sharks near the mainland of Australia;
scientists found 2 the rarest specimens largemouth sharks (in Japan in May 2014 and in the Philippines in January 2015);
prehistoric frilled sharks caught off the coast of Australia in January and February.

Let us immediately note the geographic location of the appearance of individuals of these shark species.

Now let's take a look at the cases of representatives of "food attractiveness" washed up on the shore for sharks - seals, fur seals, lions, dolphins and even the sharks themselves.

Several similar events occurred in the first months of 2015.:

in Australia, a pack of 51 fur seals washed ashore;
about 200 dolphins washed ashore in New Zealand;
in the USA (Southern California), 223 sea lions were found washed up on the coast;
appears again later New Zealand– about 200 whales washed ashore;
the paradoxical discovery of a 4-meter great white shark on the coast of Greece.

Of course, such cases of suicide are phenomena that are periodically repeated and, in principle, not yet precisely explained by scientists.

There is talk about mysterious diseases that struck at the same time various types marine animals, loss of orientation, unknown viruses and other assumptions.

However, researchers studying the biology of life of Megalodons and other ancient animals can offer their own unexpected interpretation on this issue! Namely: all episodes of beaching were provoked by the activity of Megalodon!

As arguments, experts suggest paying attention to tests taken from affected animals. In all cases, the blood of the victims was oversaturated with adrenaline! Hormone of fear!

Moreover, according to the rescuers themselves, the frightened animals did not want to return to the ocean, making attempts to return to land again when they were dragged into the water during rescue operations.

By the way, there were no signs of injuries or bites on the bodies of mammals in these particular incidents, which allows assumptions that Megalodon (or several of its individuals) either did not attack them at all, or killed them accurately and immediately, without giving the victim the opportunity to leave. This often happens in shark attacks, when the predator, after the first tooth test, either completely eats the victim or loses interest in it.

Consequently, the flocks of these suicidal animals thrown ashore were driven not even by the fear of becoming the target of a hunt by a larger predator, but by the instinctive desire to leave the territory of his hunt at any cost.

White sharks or young Megalodons? Giant sharks killed a pod of killer whales
(New Zealand)

So, back to geography. Previously, we assumed that the place of modern existence of Megalodon sharks is the Mariana Trench, which was indicated by a number of reasons, including the peculiarities of its feeding.

Looking at the map, we will find that the Mariana Trench is surrounded by Japan, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand.

Based on the localization of the appearance of ancient sharks and episodes of animal releases, as an indirect assumption of their reaction to the appearance of a huge predator, it is this geographical contour that is the most likely place for the appearance of the prehistoric Megalodon shark.

Australia - nursery for young Megalodons

At first glance, it looks strange that Megalodon ignores seals, lions, seals, etc., which are valuable in terms of nutritional value.

It is surprising that this giant managed to avoid bleeding at all in the ocean near its habitat, although several cases did occur.

We know practically nothing about this great predator, and, most likely, in the near future some amazing discovery of the features of its existence will again await us.

For analysis, let's take the life of its close relative - Carcharodon. Often in episodes of shark attacks on people, incidents occurred when the victim of the attack “got off with fright” or very minor injuries, although he was too accessible and, according to the logic of such situations, should not have remained alive.

Then experts said that a baby shark took part in the attack, which had not yet acquired the skills of a competent attack or was just learning to hunt.

Scientists currently know the places of birth and maturation of young individuals of Carcharodon, which are entire shark nurseries - water areas with relatively shallow depth and current, which are characterized by an abundant biocenosis and the absence of natural enemies.

One such nursery for the great white shark is offshore New South Wales, Australia. Regularly once a year, female white sharks appear in this water area to hatch young sharks.

Perhaps the zone we noted above precisely belongs to this category of kindergarten, but only for Megalodon.

Here we invite readers to turn to the map again and include another position in consideration - the Isthmus of Panama.

It’s interesting, but when the hypothesis about a manger for a historical monster was still only timidly expressed, it unexpectedly found counter confirmation for the researchers themselves. The fact is that at the bottom of Lake Gatun, in the Isthmus of Panama, significant quantities of well-preserved teeth were found at one time.

Of course, the teeth of such a giant themselves are an invaluable find, but these were remarkable for another circumstance: the teeth belonged to cubs, whose age at that time was no more than 2 years old (the result of calculation by the ratio of the length of the tooth to the total length of the animal).

This means that Megalodon “organized” a nursery in this water area for young individuals a very long time ago, and the functioning of this territory obviously did not stop for centuries.

Watch the video “What a young Megalodon looks like”:

The question arises, why doesn’t Megalodon leave offspring in Mariana Trench, where does he live? Does it swim specifically for this purpose in almost shallow coastal waters?

Scientists have yet to answer this question. In the meantime, there is an assumption that the baby of this huge shark still needs sunlight, which is inaccessible at depth. And that the food of this predator during adolescence should be affordable both in terms of quantity and ease of hunting.

It is the facts of fossil finds, as well as the peculiarity of the water area between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans (a huge shallow water area, which was not deep enough for the natural enemies of Megalodon, but optimally safe for its offspring) that make this geographical place ideal for organizing a kindergarten there for its cubs.

Some researchers make serious assumptions that Australian waters will soon become an alternative to the Isthmus of Panama - optimal climate and availability large quantity easily accessible food will attract Megalodons to breed in this area of the World Ocean.

Technique for detecting Megalodons in the ocean

Having come to these conclusions, scientists have moved noticeably closer to the habitats of prehistoric giant sharks. Now all that remains is to track down the female Megalodon (which is more difficult), or her offspring (which is easier, due to their natural carelessness).

Modern ocean researchers will soon be equipped with a unique sound detection technology - acoustic hydrophones, which have already been tested in the Mariana Trench and have given amazing results in detecting huge objects there.

Especially for these purposes, engineers of the NOAA Bureau of Oceanic and atmospheric research and the first hydrophone was created, which is capable of withstanding the enormous pressures of the ocean depths, equipped with modern electronics, a disk for recording data, a powerful amplifier and a high-capacity power supply.

Now that the specific localization of not only Megalodon, but also its offspring has been identified, the time to meet it, as they say, is a matter of technology.

Most ichthyologists believe that the fearsome white sharks, called “megalodon,” have long since become extinct. However, there are theories and facts that suggest that the submarine shark (as this subspecies of white sharks is nicknamed) still lives somewhere out there, in the abyss of the ocean depths, inaccessible to humans. Let's try to understand this issue based on the records of scientists, their findings and theories.

The Story of David George Stead

David George Stead was one of the most famous and respected scientists in the field of ichthyology. It was his story, published after his death, that became a real sensation and made it possible to doubt what does not exist.

In 1918, the young scientist worked in Australia and was responsible for commercial fishing on the Southern Shores. At this time, a letter arrives from a major port to the government agency responsible for the fishery, demanding a thorough check of one sensitive issue. The fishermen claimed that off the coast of Australia there was a terrible creature, an unknown fish of such threatening size that they were all afraid to go out to sea.

A terrible meeting

A heartbreaking story awaited him on the shore... The fishermen on the ship went out to sea and went to the place where lobster traps were fixed in the depths. The divers, having descended into the depths in order to unhook the cables of the traps, rose to the top with incredible speed. Quickly climbing onto the deck, they reported that there was a huge shark in the depths. Divers said that the shark easily swallowed the traps with the catch one after another. But they were secured with steel cables! And it didn’t bother her at all. Suddenly the shark appeared before the eyes of the rest of the fishing team. Forgetting about the catch, they quickly started the engines and left the terrible place.

Of course, as a scientist, David George Stead understood that sharks with a body length of more than thirty meters could not exist. But there was no point in lying to the frightened fishermen. No one then decided to go and check and get any evidence. The fishermen flatly refused to go out to sea.

Vessel "Rachel Cohen"

After several decades, the submarine shark (as the fishermen called it for its incredible size) made itself known again. In 1954, again off the coast of Australia, for repairs and “ general cleaning"The ship "Rachel Cohen" stopped at the port. When the ship was cleared of numerous shells, seventeen huge teeth were discovered. Each tooth, according to eyewitnesses, was more than eight centimeters in size. Scientists have determined that they could not belong to anyone other than the megalodon shark. For reference: the length of a regular white shark's tooth is only three to five centimeters.

Nature has never created more terrible creatures

According to scientists, it is the most terrible, bloodthirsty and terrifying creation of Mother Nature. It is estimated that its length ranges from twenty to thirty-five meters, and its weight varies from fifty to one hundred tons. Sperm whales, considered one of the largest inhabitants depths of the sea, is just a light snack for the megalodon. It’s hard to even imagine the size of a submarine shark’s mouth when a ten-meter-long whale is easy everyday prey for dinner.

Scientists have been finding huge teeth all over the world for many decades. This is further evidence that the white submarine shark exists and has (had) an incredible territorial distribution size.

It’s even scary to imagine a monster of such enormous size, in comparison with which a person is just a small grain of sand. The submarine shark, a photo of which scientists have recreated thanks to findings and theories, is a terribly ugly creature. It has a broad-boned skeleton, massive jaws containing five rows of teeth and a blunt “snout”. They even joke that megalodon looks like a pig. You involuntarily begin to rejoice that these creatures are extinct.

Are they extinct?

Geologists recognize animals as extinct only when there is no “news” about them for 400 thousand years. However, stories from fishermen from an Australian port, teeth found on the Rachel Cohen ship - all this proves the fact that the submarine shark exists. The teeth were subjected to numerous studies, and the result was that they belonged to a megalodon.

Moreover, the discovered “teeth” of the terrible giant did not even have time to really petrify. They are at most ten to eleven thousand years old. Understand the difference: 400 thousand and 11 thousand years! It turns out that somewhere in the depths of the ocean, a white shark-submarine still exists and feels great. Evidence of the existence of which is discovered quite often. And this already says something.

By the way, for example, the goblin shark, which was considered extinct for many years, was discovered in 1897 in the World Ocean. And the existence of which was also not believed for a long time, was found in 1828. Perhaps there is a shark submarine somewhere waiting in the wings.

How were they not noticed?

It would seem that such a huge size of an animal simply cannot go unnoticed for decades. Huge creatures would certainly be seen from the shore, in the shallows or from the stern of the ship. But if you think about it, the impressive dimensions of these giants simply do not allow them to swim close to the shore. It's too shallow for them here.

In addition, a submarine shark can easily exist in the depths of the sea. For example, the largest animals - sperm whales - live quietly at a depth of three kilometers. A person cannot reach such a depth, even despite the development of modern ones. Such depths are simply not yet available to us. And if you compare the sizes of sperm whales and submarine sharks, the latter clearly win. Consequently, the depth of their immersion can be much greater than the “simple” three kilometers.

Not everyone knows that after the disappearance of dinosaurs to the top food chain The superpredator megalodon has ascended, however, it seized power over other animals not on land, but in the endless waters of the World Ocean.

Description of megalodon

The name of this gigantic shark, which lived in the Paleogene - Neogene (and according to some data, extended to the Pleistocene) is translated from Greek as “big tooth”. It is believed that the megalodon kept at bay sea creatures quite a long time, appearing about 28.1 million years ago and disappearing into oblivion about 2.6 million years ago.

Appearance

Lifetime portrait of a megalodon (typical cartilaginous fish, devoid of bones) were recreated from his teeth, scattered in abundance throughout the ocean. In addition to teeth, researchers found vertebrae and entire spinal columns, preserved due to a high concentration of calcium (the mineral helped the vertebrae withstand the weight of the shark and the loads that arose during muscle efforts).

This is interesting! Until the Danish anatomist and geologist Niels Stensen, the teeth of the extinct shark were thought to be ordinary stones, until he identified the rocky formations as megalodon teeth. This happened in the 17th century, after which Stensen began to be called the first paleontologist.

To begin with, they reconstructed a shark jaw (with five rows of strong teeth, the total number of which reached 276), which, according to paleogeneticists, was equal to 2 meters. Then they began to work on the body of the megalodon, giving it maximum dimensions, which was typical for females, and also based on the assumption that the monster was closely related to the white shark.

The restored skeleton, 11.5 m long, resembles a skeleton, sharply increased in width/length, and frightens visitors to the Maryland Maritime Museum (USA). A broad skull, gigantic toothy jaws and a blunt short snout - as ichthyologists say, “megalodon looked like a pig.” Overall repulsive and terrifying appearance.

By the way, today scientists have already moved away from the thesis about the similarity of megalodon and carcharodon (white shark) and suggest that in appearance it was more like a multiply enlarged sand shark. In addition, it turned out that the behavior of megalodon (due to its enormous size and special ecological niche) was strikingly different from all modern sharks.

Megalodon dimensions

Disputes about the maximum size of the superpredator are still going on, and a number of methods have been developed to determine its true size: some suggest starting from the number of vertebrae, others draw a parallel between the size of the teeth and the length of the body. The triangular teeth of megalodon are still found in different corners planet, which indicates the wide distribution of these sharks throughout the World Ocean.

This is interesting! Carcharodon has the most similar teeth in shape, but the teeth of its extinct relative are more massive, stronger, almost three times larger and jagged more evenly. Megalodon (unlike related species) does not have a pair of lateral denticles, which gradually disappeared from its teeth.

Megalodon was armed with the largest teeth (in comparison with other living and extinct sharks) in the entire history of the Earth. Their inclined height, or diagonal length, reached 18–19 cm, and the shortest fang grew up to 10 cm, while the tooth of a white shark (the giant of the modern shark world) does not exceed 6 cm.

Comparison and study of the remains of the megalodon, consisting of fossilized vertebrae and numerous teeth, led to the idea of its colossal size. Ichthyologists are confident that an adult megalodon reached up to 15–16 meters with a mass of about 47 tons. More impressive parameters are considered debatable.

Character and lifestyle

Giant fish, to which megalodon belonged, are rarely fast swimmers - they do not have enough endurance and the required level of metabolism for this. Their metabolism is slow, and their movement is not energetic enough: by the way, according to these indicators, megalodon is comparable not so much to a white shark, but to a whale shark. Another vulnerable point of the superpredator is the low strength of cartilage, which is inferior in strength to bone tissue, even taking into account their increased calcification.

Megalodon simply could not lead an active lifestyle due to the fact that the huge mass of muscle tissue (muscle) was attached not to bones, but to cartilage. That is why the monster, looking out for prey, preferred to sit in ambush, avoiding intense pursuit: the megalodon was hampered by low speed and a meager supply of stamina. Now there are 2 known methods with which the shark killed its victims. She chose the method based on the dimensions of the gastronomic facility.

This is interesting! The first method was a crushing ram, used on small cetaceans - megalodon attacked areas with hard bones (shoulders, top part spine, chest) to break them and injure the heart or lungs.

Having experienced a blow to vital organs, the victim quickly lost the ability to move and died from severe internal injuries. Megalodon invented the second method of attack much later, when the massive cetaceans that appeared in the Pliocene came into the scope of its hunting interests. Ichthyologists found many tail vertebrae and bones from flippers belonging to large Pliocene whales, with traces of megalodon bites. These findings led to the conclusion that the superpredator first immobilized large prey by biting off/tearing off its fins or flippers, and only then finished it off completely.

Lifespan

Range, habitats

Fossil remains of the megalodon revealed that its global population was numerous and occupied almost the entire World Ocean, with the exception of cold regions. According to ichthyologists, megalodon was found in temperate and subtropical waters of both hemispheres, where water temperatures fluctuated in the range of +12+27°C.

Super shark teeth and vertebrae found in different places globe, such as:

North America;
South America;
Japan and India;
Europe;
Australia;
New Zealand;
Africa.

Megalodon teeth were found far from the main continents - for example, in the Mariana Trench of the Pacific Ocean. And in Venezuela, the teeth of a superpredator were found in freshwater sediments, which led to the conclusion that the megalodon was adapted to life in fresh water bodies (like a bull shark).

Megalodon diet

Until toothed whales like killer whales appeared, the monster shark, as befits a superpredator, sat at the top of the food pyramid and did not limit itself in the choice of food. Wide range living creatures was explained by the monstrous size of the megalodon, its massive jaws and huge teeth with a small cutting edge. Thanks to its size, megalodon could cope with animals that no modern shark could defeat.

This is interesting! From the point of view of ichthyologists, megalodon with its short jaw was not able (unlike the giant mosasaurus) to tightly capture and effectively dismember large prey. He usually tore off fragments of skin and superficial muscle.

It has now been established that the basic food of the megalodon was smaller sharks and turtles, whose shells were well suited to the pressure of powerful jaw muscles and the impact of numerous teeth.

The megalodon's diet, along with sharks and sea turtles, included:

bowhead whales;
small sperm whales;
minke whales;
Odobenocetops;
cetotherium (baleen whales);
porpoises and sirens;
dolphins and pinnipeds.

Megalodon did not hesitate to attack objects from 2.5 to 7 m in length, for example, primitive baleen whales, which could not resist the apex predator and were not fast enough to escape from it. In 2008, a group of researchers from the United States and Australia determined the bite power of megalodon using computer modeling.

The results of the calculation were considered stunning - the megalodon squeezed the victim 9 times stronger than any current shark, and 3 times more noticeably than saltwater crocodile(holder of the current record for bite power). True, in terms of absolute bite force, megalodon was still inferior to some extinct species, such as Deinosuchus, Hoffmann's mosasaurus, Sarcosuchus, Purussaurus and Daspletosaurus.

Natural enemies

Despite the indisputable status of a superpredator, megalodon had serious enemies (they are also food competitors). Ichthyologists include among them toothed whales, more precisely, sperm whales like Zygophyseters and Melville's leviathans, as well as some giant sharks, for example, Carcharocles chubutensis from the genus Carcharocles. Sperm whales and later killer whales were not afraid of adult super-sharks and often hunted juvenile megalodon.

Megalodon extinction

The disappearance of the species from the face of the Earth is timed to coincide with the junction of the Pliocene and Pleistocene: it is believed that the megalodon went extinct approximately 2.6 million years ago, and possibly much later - 1.6 million years ago.

Causes of extinction

Paleontologists still cannot pinpoint the exact reason that was decisive for the death of megalodon, and therefore they talk about a combination of factors (other top predators and global climate change). It is known that in the Pliocene era the bottom rose up between North and South America, and the Pacific and Atlantic oceans were divided by the Isthmus of Panama. Warm currents, having changed directions, could no longer deliver the required amount of heat to the Arctic, and Northern Hemisphere cooled down noticeably.

This is the first negative factor, which affected the lifestyle of megalodons, accustomed to warm waters. In the Pliocene, small whales were replaced by large ones, which preferred the cold northern climate. Populations of large whales began to migrate, swimming to cool waters in the summer, and megalodon lost its usual prey.

Important! Around the middle of the Pliocene, without year-round access to large prey, megalodons began to starve, which provoked a surge in cannibalism, which particularly affected young animals. The second reason for the extinction of the megalodon is the appearance of the ancestors of modern killer whales, toothed whales, endowed with a more developed brain and leading a collective lifestyle.

Due to their large size and slow metabolism, megalodons were inferior to toothed whales in terms of high-speed swimming and maneuverability. Megalodon was vulnerable in other ways - it was not able to protect its gills, and also periodically fell into tonic immobility (like most sharks). It is not surprising that killer whales often feasted on young megalodons (hiding in coastal waters), and when they united, they killed adult individuals. It is believed that the megalodons that lived in the Southern Hemisphere were the last to go extinct.

Is Megalodon alive?

Some cryptozoologists are confident that the monster shark could well have survived to this day. In their conclusions, they proceed from the well-known thesis: a species is classified as extinct if no signs of its presence on the planet are found for more than 400 thousand years. But how can we interpret the findings of paleontologists and ichthyologists in this case? “Fresh” teeth of megalodons found in the Baltic Sea and near Tahiti were recognized as practically “children’s” - the age of the teeth, which did not even have time to completely fossilize, is 11 thousand years.

Another relatively recent surprise, dating back to 1954, was 17 monstrous teeth stuck in the hull of the Australian ship Rachel Cohen and discovered while clearing the bottom of shells. The teeth were analyzed and the verdict was that they belonged to a megalodon.

This is interesting! Skeptics call the Rachel Cohen precedent a hoax. Their opponents never tire of repeating that the World Ocean has so far been studied only 5–10%, and it is impossible to completely exclude the existence of megalodon in its depths.

Adherents of the theory of a modern megalodon armed themselves with ironclad arguments proving the secrecy of the shark tribe. Thus, the world learned about the whale shark only in 1828, and only in 1897, the goblin shark, previously classified as an irrevocably extinct species, emerged from the depths of the World Ocean (literally and figuratively).

It was only in 1976 that humanity became acquainted with the inhabitants of the deep sea, largemouth sharks, when one of them got stuck in an anchor chain abandoned by a research vessel near the island. Oahu (Hawaii). Since then, largemouth sharks have been seen no more than 30 times (usually as carrion on the coast). It has not yet been possible to conduct a total scan of the World Ocean, and no one has ever set such a large-scale task. And the megalodon itself, adapted to deep water, will not approach the coast (due to its huge dimensions).

The eternal rivals of the super-sharks, sperm whales, have adapted to the considerable pressure of the water column and feel good, diving 3 kilometers and occasionally surfacing to take a breath of air. Megalodon has (or had?) an undeniable physiological advantage - it has gills that supply the body with oxygen. The megalodon has no compelling reason to make its presence known, which means there is hope that people will still hear about it.

Oddly enough, the most famous prehistoric shark is still shrouded in mystery. After all, it is known mainly from its teeth and a small number of vertebrae. Latin name of the species comes from a pair of ancient Greek words for "big tooth". The reason is simple: the fish’s teeth were gigantic in size, just like the fish itself. It can be called one of the largest and most dangerous sea predators of all times.

Business card

Time and place of existence

Megalodons existed from the end of the Oligocene to the beginning of the Pleistocene, about 28.1 - 1.5 million years ago (from the Rupelian to the beginning of the Calabrian stage). They were very widespread: remains are found on almost all continents, with the exception of Antarctica. Fossilized teeth have also been discovered at considerable distances from land, for example in the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean.

A rich painting by Italian paleoartist Alberto Gennari: a megalodon begins to eat a whale. Restless seagulls are circling nearby, and smaller sharks have gathered in the depths, ready to snatch a piece at any opportunity.

Types and history of discovery

For a long time, the extinct fish was considered a relative of the white shark and was assigned to the genus Carcharodon (in this case, the Latin name of the species is Carcharodon megalodon), however, recent research suggests that it belongs to the genus Carcharocles (in this case the name is Carcharocles megalodon). At the moment there is complete certainty in this issue no due to lack of sufficient material.

In this dynamic painting by Canadian artist Andrew Domachowski, a megalodon literally bursts into a living gathering with its mouth open.

By all indications, the fossil remains of megalodon and other prehistoric sharks people have found them since primitive times. However, the first fairly clear mention in the literature dates back to the Renaissance: the finds of huge triangular teeth extracted from rocks are described.

Naturally, in those days mythical and even mystical properties were easily attributed to these impressive artifacts. It was said that this is real evidence of the existence of terrible dragons and giant snakes - their petrified tongues. There was even a common name - glossopetras (Latin word glossopetrae comes from the ancient Greek phrase "stone tongues").

However, even then there were scientists who were well acquainted with the anatomy of sharks. In 1667, the Danish anatomist and geologist Niels Stensen published his work "Elementorum myologiæ specimen, seu musculi descriptio geometrica: cui accedunt Canis Carchariæ dissectum caput, et dissectus piscis ex Canum genere", in which he notes the extraordinary similarity of the glossopetra with the teeth of a large shark caught near the port city of Livorno (Italy) a year earlier.

His famous illustration from the treatise is presented, where we see the supposed head of a megalodon at the base of the teeth. It still appears in many books on the history of paleontology as one of the first paleontological discoveries.

However, the scientific description of megalodon was only two hundred years later. In 1835, the Swiss naturalist Jean Louis Agassiz, using the knowledge on sharks accumulated by the 19th century, assigned the name Carcharodon megalodon to the owner of the huge fossil teeth. It happens within the book "Recherches Sur Les Poissons Fossiles", which was completely completed in 1843.

Turkish illustrator Kerem Beyit shows us an attack on a pod of sperm whales from the depths.

At the beginning of the article, we explained the species name of megalodon. The Latin name of the genus, Carcharocles, comes from a pair of ancient Greek words for “glorious tooth” (Carcharodon - “shark tooth”). Since then, a huge number of fossilized megalodon teeth of various sizes have been found in different parts of the world. Some of them were deposited in museums, while others are in private collections.

Body structure

The body length of the megalodon reached 16 meters. The height is up to 4.5 meters. He weighed up to 47,690 kilograms. It is the largest representative of the order Lamniformes and one of the most big sharks throughout the history of our planet.

Comparison of an animal with a white shark and a diver from BBC artists.

And finally, a comparison of the megalodon with the average bus from documentary film "Prehistoric predators: Monster Shark" produced by National Geographic.

Unfortunately, megalodon is known only from numerous teeth, as well as fragments of the spine. This is directly related to the fact that the shark’s skeleton consists not of bones, but of cartilage: the likelihood of their fossilization is significantly less. Therefore, the full image of the ancient predator remains a mystery. Currently, most reconstructions are based on the structure of its possible relative, the white shark.

Megalodon moved, just like modern views, controlling movement in the water through several types of fins. He was capable of developing high speeds, so necessary for a swift attack and when chasing prey. The head is equipped with powerful trap-like jaws with several rows of sharp teeth.

Dr. Jeremiah Clifford, who specializes in skeletal reconstructions, stands in the jaws of a megalodon, holding the jaws of a white shark in his hands.

And now for a rather spectacular comparison of a megalodon tooth with the teeth of a white shark.

Note also that the length of the largest tooth is about 18.5 centimeters diagonally. It was discovered by paleontologist Peter Larson of the Black Hills Geological Research Institute. This is the largest tooth for the entire existence of the superorder of sharks.

We present to your attention a photograph of a record-breaking megalodon tooth (in the foreground).

Bite force

Recent studies show that the megalodon had an incredible bite force of up to 108,514 N. Apparently, it was necessary to inflict effective damage when hunting large animals.

Other aspects

The body of the Cenozoic super predator was voluminous and teardrop-shaped. It smoothly turned into a tail, which ended in a rather long heterocercal caudal fin. Overall, the megalodon was a superbly armed shark of enormous physical strength.

The photo shows an exhibit of the species Carcharocles megalodon (formerly Carcharodon megalodon) from the Calvert Maritime Museum (Solomons Settlement, Maryland, USA). Reconstructed on the basis of a white shark, taking into account available fossils.

Below are spectacular jaws in a beautiful interior American Museum Natural History (New York City, New York, USA).

Nutrition and lifestyle

Megalodon lived in seas almost all over the world, but preferred warm environments. Apparently, the predator used behavioral patterns quite similar to modern white sharks. However, there were also significant differences dictated by the unique body structure and colossal size. Megalodon was a pronounced solitary predator, although it could easily tolerate other individuals in its immediate vicinity. In cases of attacks on very large whales, the collective attack was mutually beneficial.

Unlike its modern relative, the adult megalodon had almost no restrictions on its range of potential targets. Megalodon could attack alone as in packs small fish, and on very large whales. This made it possible to become a real thunderstorm of the oceans, a marine resemblance to a tyrannosaurus. A superpredator over a fairly long chronological interval. At the same time, megalodon had different attack strategies for each type of animal, which is also observed in sharks today.

An unusual illustration by English paleoartist Robert Nichols. A herd of Anancus was carried out to sea by a tsunami that suddenly arrived on the calm sea shores. Their dead bodies drifted for some time until the spreading smell attracted the attention of huge ancient sharks. A pair of adult megalodons and one cub took advantage of the opportunity, not at all shying away from the taste of decomposition.

And here a living Platybelodon was attacked in shallow water. Sometimes young megalodons could hunt in shelf seas and, moreover, swim very close to the shore. Author: Canadian paleoartist Julius Csotonyi.

Let us note that the total capacity of the arsenal is not comparable with analogues of its contemporaries. Moreover, even the teeth were somewhat stronger than those of the latter: thicker and wider, with a massive base.

Comparison of the teeth of a megalodon (left) and a great white shark (right) at the same scale from Prehistoric Wildlife.

They were adapted to the high loads that arise during the hunt for perfectly protected animals. As fossils show, megalodon tried to inflict critical injuries by attacking important organs and motor systems. The force of the bite was so strong that even bones were cracked. And these were not only multi-meter thick-skinned whales (from the families of sperm whales and smooth whales to dolphins), but also giant sea turtles.

3D scene of a megalodon attacking a sea turtle from the Discovery Channel's Shark Week: Sharkzilla.

Other potential victims include smaller cetaceans, as well as pinnipeds and sirenians.

A very large megalodon is chasing a mammal from the order of sirens - the dugong.

Odobenocetops and Brygmophyseter, which appear in documentaries, could theoretically also be targets.

And this is not the full range of marine animals. Since megalodon existed for many millions of years, it managed to meet and survive more than one evolutionary generation of sea inhabitants. With a high probability, megalodons also ate representatives of other sharks. It is also important to say that the diet of very young individuals was significantly different from the diet of adults: the proportion of small fish and shellfish in it was significantly higher.

Video

Excerpt from the documentary "Prehistoric Predators: Monster Shark." Skeletal elements and hunting scenes are shown.

A fragment from the popular science series "Shark Week: Sharkzilla". Megalodon attacks various representatives ancient fauna.

Excerpt from the documentary "Fight Club" Jurassic period: Sea Hunters." A member of a pack of ancient brigmophyseters is attacked. Note that the size of the latter is greatly overestimated here.

Fragment of the feature-documentary film "Walking with sea monsters"Observation of megalodon in its native habitat.

Literature

Recommended scientific works:

Wroe, S.; Huber, D. R.; Lowry, M.; McHenry, C.; Moreno, K.; Clausen, P.; Ferrara, T. L.; Cunningham, E.; Dean, M. N.; Summers, A. P. (2008).

Incredible facts

Megalodon (Carcharocles megalodon) is a huge shark that lived approximately from 2.6 million to 23 million years ago. However, some scientists report even more ancient finds related to this monster.

Megalodon was one of the most terrible, strong and invulnerable predators that ever existed on our planet. This gigantic animal roamed the expanses of the ocean, leaving little chance for the living creatures that were not lucky enough to meet on its way.

Sharks constantly renew their teeth, losing up to 20 thousand teeth throughout their lives. Most often they break them on the bodies of their victims. But sharks are lucky - they have five rows of teeth in their mouths, so such losses go unnoticed.

Most megalodon teeth that are or have been sold online are worn. Obviously the reason is that this shark spent most of its life hunting and eating. It seems that this giant rarely felt full.

Extinct shark

Feast of humpback whales

Such huge predatory creatures as megalodons must have had a serious appetite. The open mouth of the ancient shark could reach colossal sizes - 3.4 by 2.7 meters.

They could eat prey of any size - from small animals (such as dolphins, other sharks and sea turtles) to huge humpback whales. Thanks to its powerful jaws, the bite force of which could range from approximately 110 thousand to 180 thousand Newton, Megalodon inflicted terrible wounds, crushing the bones of the victim.

As mentioned earlier, scientists have found fossilized remains of whale skeletal bones with bite marks from a megaladon. Thanks to these finds, scientists were able to study exactly how the terrible predators devoured their victims.

Some bones even preserved pieces of the tips of the megaladon's teeth, which broke off when attacked by ancient sharks. These days great white sharks also hunt whales, but prefer to attack cubs or weakened (wounded) adults, which are easier to kill.

Megadolon lived everywhere

In its heyday, the ancient megalodon shark could be found in oceans around the world. This is evidenced by finds in the form of the teeth of this predator, which are found almost everywhere.

fossilized remains, belonging to these monstrous creatures, have been found in North and South America, Europe, Africa, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Jamaica, Canary Islands, in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Malta, the Grenadines and India.

In other words, if these territories were under water millions of years ago and there was food in them, then megalodon also lived there. It is believed that the lifespan of the ancient shark ranged from 20 to 40 years, but it is possible that some representatives of this species lived longer.

Another advantage that megalodons had was that they were geothermal animals. This means that these giant sharks were able to maintain a constant body temperature regardless of the external temperature.

Thus, the oceans of the entire planet were open to megalodons. Now this ancient shark is the object of attention mainly of cryptozoologists. Indeed, there is virtually no chance that we will ever encounter a living megalodon.

Despite this, we should not forget, for example, about the coelacanth - a lobe-finned fish, which turned out to be a living fossil; or about the yeti crab - a furry crab living in the area of hydrothermal vents, which was discovered only in 2005, when the submarine sank to a depth of 2200 meters.

Megalodon preferred shallow depths

It is quite difficult to imagine that such a huge predator as megalodon could live anywhere other than the deepest parts of the world's oceans. However, as recent findings show, these sharks preferred to swim near coastal areas.

Staying in warm, shallow coastal waters allowed megalodons to effectively produce offspring. Researchers from the University of Florida, USA, reported the discovery ten million year old fossils very young megalodons in Panama.

More than four hundred fossilized teeth were discovered, collected from shallow waters. All these teeth belong to very small baby ancient sharks. Similar remains of cubs were found in the so-called Valley of Bones in Florida, as well as in coastal areas Calvert County, Maryland, USA.

And although newborn megalodons were already striking in their size (on average from 2.1 to 4 meters, which is comparable to the size of modern sharks), they were vulnerable to various predators (including other sharks). The ocean is an extremely dangerous place for any newborn predators, so the sharks tried to stay in shallow water to give their offspring the best chance of survival.

Megalodon was very fast

Megalodons not only had gigantic sizes– they were also very fast for their size. In 1926, a researcher named Leriche made an astonishing discovery, discovering a more or less preserved vertebral column of a megalodon.

This column consisted of 150 vertebrae. Thanks to this discovery, researchers were able to learn much more about the behavior and habits of these giant sharks. Having studied the shape of the vertebra, scientists came to the conclusion that Megalodon grabbed the victim with its powerful jaws, and then began to move his head from side to side, trying to tear a piece of flesh from the bones.

It was this hunting style that made the ancient shark so dangerous predator– once caught in her jaws, the victim had no way to escape from there. Again, thanks to the shape of its body, megalodon could reach speeds of 32 kilometers per hour or more.

White sharks also develop great speed in a jerk, but for the size of a megalodon its speed is considered simply incredible. It is believed that in normal condition ancient sharks moved at an average speed of 18 kilometers per hour. But even this speed was enough for the megalodon to be faster than many other species in the ocean.

However, if you believe other experts, in particular, eminent scientists from the Zoological Society of London, this speed was higher. Some researchers believe that megalodon was able to move in water at an average speed that exceeds average speed any modern shark.

Ancient shark

Megaldons became extinct due to starvation

Despite the fact that there is no direct evidence that exactly how and why these ancient sharks began to die out, many experts suggest that this was largely due to the huge appetite of these predators.

Around 2.6 million years ago, global sea levels began to change dramatically, which had a significant impact on many species that were the main source of food for basking sharks.

During this period of time, more than a third of all animals died out. marine mammals. The surviving species are smaller in size, which could become prey for a megalodon, often became a source of food for smaller and nimble ocean predators.

Be that as it may, the competition was very tough. At the same time, the megalodon still needed huge amounts of food every day, which would allow it to maintain its body temperature at the level necessary for its survival.

The heyday of the megalodon population occurred around to the middle of the Miocene epoch, which began about 23 million years ago and ended about 5.3 million years ago.

By the end of the era, megalodon could be found mainly off the coast of Europe, North America and in Indian Ocean. Closer to the period of mass extinction, that is, the Pliocene period (about 2.6 million years ago), the ancient Aguls began to migrate to the coasts of South America, Asia and Australia.

Megalodon fueled human myths about dragons

In the 17th century, Danish naturalist Nicholas Steno tried to determine the origin of the megalodon teeth he found. Before this period humanity did not in any way connect such finds with giant sharks that lived millions of years ago. Yes, and could not connect.

In those years, megalodon teeth were called nothing more than “stone tongues.” People sincerely believed that these were not teeth at all, but the tongues of dragons or giant serpentine lizards similar to dragons, the existence of which few doubted at that time.

It was widely believed that a dragon could lose the tip of its tongue in a fight or at the moment of death, which then turned to stone. The tips of dragon tongues (that is, megalodon teeth) were eagerly collected by ordinary people who believed that they were talismans that protected against bites and poisoning.

And when Steno came to the conclusion that these stone triangles were not the tips of dragons’ tongues at all, but the teeth of a huge shark, myths about dragons began to gradually become a thing of the past. Instead, real evidence of other pre-existing monsters appeared.

Mega fake

In 2013, when humanity had already become accustomed to the fact that the expanses of the ocean had become relatively safe, the Discovery Channel released a mockumentary called Megalodon: Monster Shark Lives.

In this film, shown on the channel as part of the so-called “Shark Week,” supposedly real facts of the existence of megalodon in our time were demonstrated, including “archival photos from the Second World War.”

If you believe these photographs, then the length of the shark’s tail alone should have been at least 19 meters. However, this movie did not impress anyone except ordinary people. And they, along with the critics, ultimately spoke extremely negatively about Discovery’s deception.