A group of California paleontologists doubted estimates of the body structure of an ancient shark. Megalodon is an extinct giant shark that battled the ancient ocean approximately 18 million years ago. Humans are known for their preserved teeth and vertebrae, which help determine the likely size of the massive predator. Based on fossilized “evidence”, a group of British and South African researchers in the summer of 2022 created a 3D model of the megalodon: the super-predator reached a length of 15-20 meters and weighed more than 60 tons. The model also helped learn the shark’s eating habits; It probably fed on small whales, saturating its body with infestations for several months. But new studies by California paleontologists have pointed to discrepancies in megalodon size estimates.

The structure of the ancient shark is known only from a preserved spine without vertebrae and teeth. Explaining the appearance of the megalodon, scientists start from the great white shark, which is the largest – up to five meters – representative of its species. The assumed size of the megalodon was previously estimated at 11.1 metres, but a study of the same spinal remains at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in 1996 puts its body length at 9.2 metres.

As California researchers note, comparing the megalodon with the white shark is a mistake because these two predators belong to different families. Therefore, it is wrong to consider them as similar. Moreover, in 2022, a young individual of the great white shark was selected to create a 3D model of the megalodon, revealing ontogenetic inaccuracies.

“Although it is still not fully known how long the body of O. megalodon was compared to the great white shark, this new discovery represents a major scientific breakthrough in the quest to unravel what megalodon looked like,” the study author emphasized. Philip Sternes.

Other problems in estimating the size of an ancient shark are that the surviving spine is missing 12 or more vertebrae. In addition, even in laminiform sharks their numbers differ – the great white also belongs to this order. Scientists also doubted the calculations regarding jaw dimensions and the scale of the entire body in the 3D model. Megalodon’s body was likely thinner and longer, but research team member Jake Wood said at least one complete skeleton of the shark needed to be found for further discussion.

In general, the study of this mysterious ancient appearance of sharks regularly brings surprises. So, in the summer of last year, American researchers discovered that the megalodon was a warm-blooded animal. This is a rare condition among sharks: they are mostly cold-blooded, except for the mako shark and the great white shark.

The megalodon’s body temperature was probably equal to 27 degrees Celsius – a rather energy-consuming trait, because to maintain heat the giant predator had to eat enormous amounts of food. Perhaps the most important factor in the extinction of the megalodon was warm-bloodedness.