Megalodon’s body size and shape reveal why certain aquatic vertebrates can achieve giants

The new research provides many new insights into the biology of the giant prehistoric shark Megatooth Shark, which lived almost all over the world 150,000 years ago. The professor of paleontology at DePaul University led the research along with 28 other shark, fossil and vertebrate anatomy experts around the world. Findings from this study can be found in the Journal Palaeontologia Electronica.

Officially referred to as Otodus Megalodon, it is known primarily from its serrated teeth, vertebrae, and scales of the fossil record, but does not have a complete skeleton. Although much smaller, modern great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) also have serrated teeth, so prehistoric sharks have traditionally been assumed in novels and sci-fi films that include “The Meg,” and in previous studies, superficially, appear to be a huge version of the great white shark.

Nevertheless, the nearly complete fossilized vertebral column (trunk section) of O. megalodon, about 11 meters (36 feet) in Belgium, is well studied. In the new study, we asked a simple question. How long was the head and tail length of vertebral column specimens, especially O. megalodon?

To address the question, a team of researchers from Australia, Austria, Brazil, France, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the UK, and the US investigated the proportions of head, trunk, and tail compared to the total length of 145 and 20 sharks. Assuming O. Megalodon has a body plan that matches the majority of sharks, the team determined that its head length and tail length accounted for about 16.6% and 32.6% of the total length, respectively.

Because the Belgian trunk vertebra specimen is measured at 11 meters, the head and tail have been calculated to be approximately 1.8 meters (6 feet) and 3.6 meters (12 feet) in length, respectively, resulting in an estimated total of 16.4 meters (54 feet) for a given O. megalodon individual.

The largest vertebrae in the Belgian specimen is 15.5 cm (6 inches) in diameter, but an estimated O. megalodon vertebra with a diameter of 23 cm (9 inches) has been reported from Denmark. When Danish vertebrae represent the largest vertebra in the body, the individual was able to measure approximately 24.3 meters (80 feet).

“The 24.3 metre length is currently the largest estimate possible for megalodon, and can be justified based on science and the current fossil record.”

The research by Shimada and his team did not end there. Based on a comparison of the proportions of their body parts, they determined that O. megalodon’s body shape was superficially similar. The team also says that modern giant sharks such as the whale shark (Rhincodon Typus) and Shark (Cetorhinus Maximus), as well as many other giant aquatic vertebrates, such as the whale (Cetorhinus Maximus), are thinner because their bodies are not effective in swimming on the water.

In contrast, great white sharks with even more severe bodies as they grow can grow, but are not huge due to hydrodynamic constraints (below 7 meters or 23 feet). The meaning is profound as the team unexpectedly unlocked the mystery of why certain aquatic vertebrates can achieve huge sizes.

The research team also included two former masters students from DePaul University, Philip Stahnes and Jake Wood’s Shimada.

“Our new research is, O. Megalodon has solidified the idea that it is not a huge version of the great modern white shark that supports our previous research,” said Starnes, now an educator at Sea World San Diego.

“What distinguishes our work from all previous papers on body size and shape estimation from all papers is the use of a whole new approach that does not rely solely on modern Great White sharks,” added Wood, a doctoral student at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida.

The new study also reevaluated other biological aspects. For example, the 24.3-meter O. Megalodon weighed about 94 tons, and the cruise speed estimated from the scale morphology was 2.1-3.5 km/h (1.3-2.2 miles). The growth patterns recorded in Belgian vertebral specimens are O. It suggests that megalodon had born a newborn about 3.6-3.9 feet (12-13 feet) long, and the embryos were nourished through oviduct.

Along with the known fossil records of O. Megalodon and white shark lineage, newly speculated growth patterns support the idea that about 5 million years ago the rise of the great white shark likely played a role in the ultimate end of O. Megalodon for competition.

“Many interpretations we made are still tentative, but they are data-driven and serve as a reasonable reference point for future research into the biology of O.,” said Shimada, hoping that the perfect skeleton will be discovered one day.