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The megalodon shark was so big and herculean it could go through an orca in a few bite , and was the fastest cruising shark to ever swim the oceans , a novel study show . The finds were divulge thanks to a Modern 3D model of the foresightful - nonextant shark , based on data collected from fossilised teeth and vertebrae , which is give scientist the best look yet at the size , speed and diet of the infamous " superpredator . "
Themegalodon(Otodus megalodon ) was the largest shark to ever float throughEarth ’s oceans . It first emerge around 23 million age ago and went extinct about 2.6 million twelvemonth ago , likelydue to the emergence of great white sharks . Like modernsharks , megalodon had a rubbery frame , which does not easily fossilize , so most of what we know about the ancient leviathan come in from its fossilised tooth , which are around 6 inches ( 15 centimeters ) long , and a few well - preserved vertebrae . As a result , scientists actually know very little about this apex piranha .
An artist’s interpretation of a megalodon hunting an ancient orca-like cetacean.
In the new subject area , researchers flux measure from an exceptionally well - preserve vertebral column unveil in Belgium and a circle of teeth determine in the U.S. to make a rough blueprint of the megalodon ’s skeleton . The team then used body scans of agreat white shark(Carcharodon carcharias ) to fill up in the gaps and gauge the amount of soft tissue that would have environ megalodon ’s bones . The scientists then combined these data point to create a digitally reconstructed 3-D megalodon that researchers could practice to peer into the hole-and-corner lives of the elephantine beast .
establish on the model , " we estimate that an adultO. megalodoncould cruise at faster absolute speeds than any shark species today and fully consume prey the sizing of advanced apex predators , " the researchers wrote in the novel work , publish Aug. 17 in the journalScience make headway . " Our results suggest thatO. megalodonplayed an important ecological role as a transoceanic superpredator . "
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A size comparison between a megalodon tooth (left) and a great white shark tooth (right).
The 3D model let on that the megalodon was likely around 52 feet ( 16 meter ) long . For context , the world ’s big living shark , the hulk shark ( Rhincodon typus ) , usually grows to a maximum length of around 33 feet ( 10 m ) andgreat white sharksmax out at around 16 feet ( 5 m ) long . retiring estimate had propose that megalodon could mature to a maximal length of around 66 feet ( 20 metre ) , which may still have been potential , the researchers wrote .
Based on the good example , the gauge deal of the megalodon was a whopping 67.9 tons ( 61.6 metric slews ) , which is the same as around 10 Africanelephants . The model also showed that the giant shark ’s mouth was likely around 5.6 foot ( 1.7 m ) wide , and its sting was between 3.9 and 5.9 feet ( 1.2 and 1.8 molar concentration ) high , depending on how wide it give its jaw .
After working out the megalodon ’s size and mass , the researchers then equate it with 28 specie of living sharks to estimate how rapidly it could swim . The results showed that the megalodon could theoretically travel at an average cruising speed of around 3.1 mph ( 5 km / h ) , which is immobile than any living shark . However , it is unclear what its maximum pep pill may have been .
estimate the sizing of the megalodon also helped the researchers to gain a salutary understanding of the enormous predator ’s diet .
If the megalodon ’s stomach take aim up a similar dimension of its body as the stomachs of living apex sharks , such as peachy Edward D. White , the team opine the colossus ’s venter could have had a volume of around 2,537 gallons ( 9,605 liters ) , which is the eq to around 60 bathtubs .
Therefore , the bombastic prey item the megalodon could consume on an empty stomach was probably anything like in size to livingorcas(Orcinus orca ) , which can arise to around 26 feet ( 8 m ) tenacious and weigh around 6.6 tons ( 6 metric ton ) . give the size of the megalodon ’s massive sassing , the gigantic piranha could have take in target this big in as few as five bites , harmonise to the bailiwick .
The megalodon may also have hunted larger target , but if it did , it would have been unable to consume the totality of its meal — in which case it may have choose to run through the best share . For exercise , previous enquiry suggested that the megalodon may havetaken bites of spermatozoan heavyweight ' facesrather than eating the full animal .
However , it is unlikely that the megalodon would have to eat such tumid meals very often .
Based on its size and swim focal ratio , the researchers estimate that the megalodon would have used around 98,000caloriesevery daytime , which is around 20 times more than a great white shark requires . That may seem like an awful lot of food , but it is n’t as much as you might conceive . The megalodon probably fed predominantly on cetaceans , which have big second-stringer of zip - fertile blubber , and other sharks , which have monumental , fattyliversthat help them float . Therefore , eating something as large as an orca would have provided the megalodon with all the vim it needed for around two calendar month and perhaps more , according to the field of study .
— Megalodon shark mamas had human - size cannibal babies
— elephantine shark , perchance a megalodon , feasted on this heavyweight 15 million old age ago
— What caused this massive megalodon ’s mega - odontalgia ?
The researchers think that these infrequent but massive meals could have sustained the megalodon during monumental transoceanic migrations , which it would have completed in record times due to its spirited cruising upper . These monumental trips across the world likely start the mammoth shark to dominate the ancient oceans , the research worker wrote .
Originally bring out on Live Science .
