Megalodon basking shark probably thinner than previously thought, new analysis shows

class = “sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc”>

A research team in the journal “Palaeontologia Electronica” explains that in the past, the great white shark was often used as a model for the appearance of the megalodon. But new analysis has shown that the ancient shark was probably not as plump and stocky as its modern relative.

“Our team re-examined the documented fossil evidence and found that megalodon was thinner and possibly longer than we thought. So a better model may be the modern mako shark,” said lead author Phillip Sternes of the University of California, Riverside. “It remains elusive at the top of the previous food chain.” “He would be a predator, but he would act differently because of this new understanding of his body.”

Megalodon became known, among other things, through the science fiction films “Meg” and “Meg 2: The Deep”, in which sharks swim from the depths of the oceans. According to data from the University of California, the real megalodon (Otodus megalodon), which went extinct 3.6 million years ago, has so far been discovered with mostly huge teeth and a few vertebrae. According to the study authors, even the entire megalodon spine is unknown.

Sternes’ team reported that a maximum length of 15 to 20 meters has been estimated so far. Its length is probably underestimated; however, the researchers do not offer any new specific information. Among other things, they used computed tomography scans of the vertebrae of the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) and megalodon data from previous studies.

According to Sternes, the results show that “megalodon was not a larger version of the modern great white shark.” Therefore, a thinner and longer body may indicate that megalodon also had a longer digestive tract. In this case, food utilization was better and the shark had to eat less. “This means less hunting pressure on other marine life,” Sternes said.

Timo Moritz of the German Oceanographic Museum in Stralsund, who was not involved in the research, said Sterne’s team’s work revealed some weaknesses in previous analyses. The major weakness in a study that was particularly criticized by Sterne’s team was the classic circular argument: “If you assume from the beginning that Megalodon looked like a great white shark, of course you will eventually realize that it looked like a great white shark and lived like that.” The new study’s conclusion that Megalodon was probably thinner is understandable.

John Hutchinson, the lead author of the 2022 megalodon study, which was particularly criticized by Sterne’s team, evaluates the situation differently: “We estimated that the megalodon individual we modeled was approximately 15.9 meters long. The new study criticizes this, but does not offer an alternative hypothesis and therefore is not meaningful,” he said in London. Hutchinson, who works at the Royal Veterinary College in . “More importantly, the new study argues that without a complete skeleton, any reconstruction is highly speculative, but researchers continue to make their own crude speculations.” he criticized.

(SDA)

Source : Blick