Article Author:
Associated Press
Maddie Burakoff
New York — Today's sharks ask their ancient cousins what I don't have either.
A giant shark that roamed the oceans millions of years ago could have devoured a creature the size of a killer whale with just five bites. That's what new research suggests.
In a study published Wednesday, researchers used fossil evidence to create his 3D model of the megalodon. A megalodon is one of the biggest predatory fishes of all time and she has found clues about its life.
A study in Science Advances found that megalodon was about 50 feet (16 meters) from nose to tail, larger than a school bus. This is about two to three times the size of a modern great white shark.
Megalodon's gaping jaws allowed it to eat other large creatures. With their huge stomachs full, researchers suggest they can roam the ocean for months at a time.
Megalodons were also good swimmers. Its average cruising speed was faster than that of modern sharks and could have easily navigated multiple oceans.
"It would be a superpredator ruling the ecosystem," said co-author John Hutchinson, who studies the evolution of animal movement at the Royal Veterinary College. "There really is nothing quite like it."
Paleontologist and study author Catalina Pimiento of the University of Zurich and Swansea University in Wales said scientists were able to get a sharp image of the megalodon. said it was difficult.
Skeletons are made of soft cartilage that doesn't fossilize well, Pimiento said. I used the one with very little .
Researchers also brought in a jaw-length megalodon tooth the size of a human fist, Hutchinson said. A scan of a modern great white shark helped flesh out the rest.
Based on their digital work, the researchers calculated that the megalodon weighed about 70 tons, or the weight of 10 elephants.
Even other high-level predators could have been the meat of a megalodon's lunch, which was able to open its jaws to nearly 6 feet (2 meters) wide, Pimiento said. said.
Megalodon is an estimated 23 million to 2.6 million years ago.
Because megalodon fossils are rare, models of this kind require a "leap of the imagination," said Michigan State University paleontologist Michael Gottfried, who said the study did not. not involved in But he said the results of the study were reasonable, based on what is known about giant sharks.
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