The mega shark was probably even longer than previously thought

According to one analysis, the giant ancient shark Megalodon was significantly slimmer and possibly longer than previously thought.

In the past, the great white shark was often used as a model for the megalodon’s appearance, a research team explains in the journal ‘Palaeontologia Electronica’. However, new analyzes showed that the ancient shark was probably not as plump and stocky as its modern relative.

“Our team re-examined the documented fossil finds and discovered that the megalodon was slimmer and possibly even longer than we thought. Therefore, a better model might be the modern mako shark,” said lead author Phillip Sternes of the University of California, Riverside. “It would still have been a formidable predator at the top of the previous food chain, but it would have behaved differently because of this new understanding of its body.”

The megalodon became known through the science fiction films ‘Meg’ and ‘Meg 2: The Deep’, in which basking sharks swim from the depths of the oceans. So far, the true megalodon (Otodus megalodon), which according to the University of California became extinct 3.6 million years ago, has mainly been discovered with huge teeth and some vertebrae. According to the study authors, not even a complete megalodon spine is known.

So far it is estimated to be up to 15 to 20 meters long, Sternes’ team reports. Its length is probably underestimated, but the researchers do not provide any specific new information. They used, among other things, computed tomography scans of the vertebrae of a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) and megalodon data from previous studies.

According to Sternes, the results “suggest that the megalodon was not simply a larger version of the modern great white shark.” A slimmer and longer body could therefore indicate that the megalodon also had a longer digestive tract. In this case, food intake was better and the shark had to eat less. “This means less hunting pressure on other marine animals,” says Sternes.

The work of Sterne’s team reveals several weaknesses in previous analyses, said Timo Moritz of the German Oceanographic Museum in Stralsund, who was not involved in the study. The biggest weakness in a study criticized mainly by Sterne’s team was the classic circular argument: ‘If you assume from the outset that Megalodon looked like a great white shark, you will of course eventually find out that it looked like a great white shark. great white shark and lived like that.” The new study’s conclusion that Megalodon was probably slimmer is understandable.

John Hutchinson, lead author of the 2022 megalodon study, which was particularly criticized by Sterne’s team, sees the situation differently: ‘We estimate that the megalodon individual we modeled was about 15.9 meters long. The new study criticizes this, but does not provide an alternative hypothesis and is therefore not meaningful,” said Hutchinson, who works at the Royal Veterinary College in London. “Importantly, the new study claims that reconstructions without a complete skeleton are too speculative, but researchers continue to make their own crude speculations,” he criticized. (sda/dpa)