For the first time, a research team from the University of Bristol has calculated the size of one of the largest sharks ever to live in the world.
It was 16 meters long and populated the waters of the Earth millions of years ago. For the first time, a research team from the University of Bristol has calculated the size of one of the largest sharks ever to live in the world.
The megalodon (Carcharodon megalodon or Carcharocles megalodon) is an extinct species of large shark known for its large fossil teeth. The name itself means "big tooth".
This creature lived from 23 to about 3 million years ago and finally its true dimensions have been revealed. Until now, only the length of the legendary giant shark had been estimated, but now a new study conducted by the University of Bristol and Swansea University has revealed the dimensions of the rest of the body, including the fins, as large as an adult human being.
A colossus 16 meters long, much larger than any shark present in the seas of the world today. The largest today is the so-called Great White, the great white shark over 6 meters long, which bites with a force of two tons. By comparison, the prehistoric shark had a bite of 10 tons.
It was not easy to reconstruct the history of this imposing animal since the fossils known today are the enormous triangular teeth, larger than a human hand.
Jack Cooper, who has just completed his Masters in Paleobiology at the University of Bristol's School of Earth Sciences, and colleagues from the University of Swansea used a number of mathematical methods to define the size and proportions of this giant of the sea. , making close comparisons with a variety of living "relatives". Their findings are published in Scientific Reports.
“I've always been crazy about sharks. As a college student, I worked and dived with the great white shark in South Africa, protected by a steel cage of course. Sharks are such beautiful and well-adapted animals, that makes them so attractive to study, ”said Jack Cooper.
Previously the fossil shark, formally known as Otodus megalodon, was only compared to the Great White shark but Jack and his colleagues, for the first time, expanded this analysis to include 5 modern sharks.
According to the new findings, the Megalodon was 16 meters long, probably had a round head 4,65 meters long, a dorsal fin about 1,62 meters high and a tail about 3,85 meters high.
This means that an adult human hypothetically standing on this shark's back would have been as tall as its dorsal fin.
© University of Bristol / Oliver E. Demuth
The reconstruction of the dimensions of the parts of the Megalodon's body represents a fundamental step towards a better understanding of the physiology of this giant but also of the causes that may have led to its extinction.
Sources of reference: University of Bristol, Scientific Reports
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