The Otodus megalodon, commonly called the megalodon, is famous for its massive size. Weighing up to 50 tons and measuring up to about 60 feet in length, the meg was the largest shark ever to exist.
Estimates suggest megalodon actually grew to between 15 and 18 metres in length, three times longer than the largest recorded great white shark. It may have been comparable in length to today's biggest whale sharks, the largest of which has measured in at 18.8 metres.
The blue whale is the biggest living being alive today and it is far larger than any megalodon. The blue whale can grow upwards of 100 feet long and weighs more than 110 tons. Simply put, this is an absolutely massive mammal that has no equal.
First, you wouldn't be much larger than the megalodon's dorsal fin, which scientists have estimated to be around 5 feet and 3 inches tall. You would be less than half the height of their tall, which could be nearly 13 feet tall – that's about half the length of a London bus!
After careful consideration of Dean's findings, the size of Megalodon was revised downward, to be about 70 percent of the original assumption (around 21 meters, or 68.6 feet). That size has held up relatively well through the modern day, and has been reaffirmed with newer techniques used for studying fossil evidence.
Internet rumors persist that modern-day megalodons exist – that they still swim around in today's oceans. But that's not true. Megalodons are extinct. They died out about 3.5 million years ago.
Megalodons succumbed to global cooling due to the shrinking of their habitat, the vanishing of their favorite prey, and competition from other predators 3.5 million years ago.
megalodon, (Carcharocles megalodon), member of an extinct species of megatooth shark (Otodontidae) that is considered to be the largest shark, as well as the largest fish, that ever lived.
Whale shark: The biggest specimen ever reliably measured was 18.8 metres or nearly 62 feet long – that's bigger than a school bus!
Megalodon, an ancient shark, had such a huge appetite that it could have swallowed an 8-metre-long whale in just a few bites, according to the first 3D reconstruction of the predator. This new description upgrades its already gigantic size to at least 16 metres long and a weight of 61.5 tonnes.
With a stomach volume of almost 10,000 litres, the results suggest that the megalodon was capable of eating prey up to 8 meters long – whole! This means that today's top ocean predator, the killer whale, could have been eaten whole by this ancient sea monster.
In the battle between a megalodon and an orca pod, the orcas would have the advantage.
To give you a general price range for commercial grade (has some defects) Megalodon teeth. 2-3” teeth will typically be in the $20 to $60 range, 3-4” teeth will fall into the $50-100 range, 4-5” teeth the $100-200 range, 5-5 ½” teeth $200-400, etc.
Predators and prey
In addition to being the world's largest fish, megalodon may have been the largest marine predator that has ever lived. (Basilosaurids and pliosaurs may have been just as large.) Megalodon was an apex predator, or top carnivore, in the marine environments it inhabited (see also keystone species).
Although Megalodon teeth are frequently discovered, a full megalodon jaw has never been discovered.
The largest great white recognized by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) is one caught by Alf Dean in southern Australian waters in 1959, weighing 1,208 kg (2,663 lb).
While Deep Blue may be one of the largest fish in the ocean, these creatures can still be elusive and NOAA estimates a great white shark lifespan to be around 30-70 years so there's every chance Deep Blue is still alive and well in the ocean to this day.
Some megalodons are estimated to have been much larger―as long as 50 feet. Using the data from this study, together with previous research, the researchers concluded that the potential lifespan of megalodons was 88-100 years.
Megalodon, the biggest shark that ever lived, may have been killed off thanks to the success of the great white, new research suggests. A study of elemental traces in their teeth implies the huge sea monster faced competition for resources from its smaller and more nimble rival, say scientists.
1. Great White Shark. Great white sharks are the most aggressive sharks in the world has recorded 333 attacks on humans, with 52 of them being fatal. The inclusion of this particular species probably comes as no surprise since movies, particularly Jaws, and television shows are quick to show their aggression.
Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) 20 feet / 6.1 m
The greatest predator on Earth, the great white is famous worldwide for hunting ability.
The smallest shark, a dwarf lantern shark (Etmopterus perryi) is smaller than a human hand. It's rarely seen and little is known about it, having only been observed a few times off the northern tip of South America at depths between 283–439 meters (928–1,440 feet).
What Did They Eat? A full-size Megalodon shark could extend to as much as 60 feet. Its humongous size allowed it to eat some of the largest mammals, such as dolphins, dugongs, sea lions, large fish, turtles, and even whales. However, not all Megalodon sharks could eat such big mammals.