In general, the animal kingdom causes fascination for people, however, animals that are described with large sizes tend to attract our attention even more. Some of these species of unusual size live today, while others are known from the fossil record and several are even part of the legends that have been told over time. One such animal described is the megalodon, which has been reported to be a shark of tremendous proportions. So much so, that it has been considered the largest fish that has ever existed on earth, which would make this animal a mega predator of the oceans.
What was the megalodon like?
The megalodon bears the scientific name Carcharocles megalodon and, although it previously had another classification, there is now a broad consensus that it belongs to the order Lamniformes (to which the great white shark also belongs), to the extinct family Otodontidae and to the equally extinct genus Carcharocles.
For a long time, various scientific studies, based on estimates from the remains found, proposed that this great shark could have had different dimensions. In this sense, it was considered that the megalodon measured about 30 meters in length, but is this the real size of the megalodon? With the advancement of scientific methods for the study of fossil remains, these estimates were later discarded and it has now been established that the megalodon actually had an approximate length of 16 meters, reaching a head length of about 4 meters or a little more, with the presence of a dorsal fin that exceeded 1.5 meters and a tail of almost 4 meters high. Undoubtedly, these dimensions are of important proportions for a fish, so that it can be considered the largest of its group.
Some findings have established that the megalodon had a large jaw that corresponded to its large size, which was made up of four groups of teeth: anterior, intermediate, lateral and posterior. A single tooth of this shark has measured up to 168 mm In general, they are large, triangular dental structures, with the presence of thin striations on the edges and face The lingual is convex in shape, while the labial is slightly convex to flat, and the dental neck is V-shaped. The anterior teeth tend to be more symmetrical and larger, while the posterior laterals have less symmetry. Also, as you move towards the posterior part of the mandible, there is a slight increase in the midline of these structures, but then it decreases to the last tooth.
In the image we can see a megalodon tooth (left) and a great white shark tooth (right). These are the only real photos of the megalodon that we have.
Learn about the different types of sharks that currently exist in this other article.
When did the megalodon become extinct?
The evidence found suggests that this shark lived from the Miocene to the late Pliocene, so the megalodon became extinct about 2, 5 or 3 million years agoThis species had a wide range of distribution in practically all the oceans and moved easily from coastal waters to deep areas, preferring subtropical to temperate waters.
It is estimated that various geological and environmental events contributed to the extinction of the megalodon. One of these events was the formation of the isthmus of Panama, which brought with it the closure of the connection between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, bringing important transformations in ocean currents, temperatures and the distribution of maritime fauna, aspects that very possibly significantly affected the species in question. The drop in ocean temperatures, the beginning of an ice age and the decrease in species that were important prey for their food, were undoubtedly determining factors and prevented the megalodon from continuing to develop in the conquered habitats.
In this other article we talk in more detail about Why the megalodon became extinct.
Does the megalodon shark still exist?
The oceans are vast ecosystems, so that not even all the scientific and technological progress available today allows us to fully understand the abundance of life in marine habitats. This has resulted in speculation or collective stories often arising about the current existence of certain particular species, and the megalodon is one of them. According to certain beliefs, this great shark could inhabit spaces unknown to scientists, so it would be located in unexplored depths yet. However, in general for science, the species Carcharocles megalodon is extinct, since there is no evidence of the presence of living individuals, which would be the way to confirm its possible extinction or not.
It is generally thought that If this shark still existed and was off the radar of ocean studies, it would bewould present important changes , since it must have adapted to the new conditions that arose after the transformations in marine ecosystems.
Proof that the megalodon existed
The fossil record is essential to be able to specify which species have existed in the evolutionary history of the earth. In this sense, there is a certain record of fossil remains that corresponds to the megalodon shark, mainly various dental structures, remains of the jaw and also partial remains of the vertebrae. It is important to remember that this type of fish is mainly made up of cartilaginous material, so that over the years, and being underwater with high concentrations of salinity, it is more difficult for their remains to be completely preserved.
Megalodon fossil remains have been located primarily in the southeastern United States, Panama, Puerto Rico, the Grenadines, Cuba, Jamaica, the Canary Islands, Africa, M alta, India, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, showing that it had a highly cosmopolitan existence.
Extinction is also a natural process within the terrestrial dynamics and the disappearance of the megalodon is one of these facts, because human beings had not yet evolved by the time this great fish conquered theoceans of the world. If they had coincided, it would surely have been a terrible problem for humans, because, with those dimensions and voracity, who knows how their behavior would have been with the boats that could have transited those maritime spaces.
The megalodon has transcended scientific literature and, given the fascination it has caused, it has also been considered in movies and in stories, although with a high content of fiction. Finally, it is clear and scientifically proven that this shark populated many of the earth's marine spaces, but the megalodon does not exist today since, as we have mentioned, there is no scientific evidence of it. However, this does not mean that further research cannot find it.
