The Megalodon shark (meaning “Big tooth”) lived in the Cenozoic Era, between 23 and 2.6 million years ago. It is reputed to be one of the most vicious predators in history.
While we think of most whales as docile, these beasts were a notable exception, being apex predators who would aggressively pursue any potential prey in their environment, megalodons being among them.
Megalodons were adapted to warmer waters and needed lots of enormous marine mammals to feed on. Paleontologists think that when the climate changed a couple of million years ago and other large marine mammals moved into colder waters, the megalodons were left behind without enough food to survive.
The battle for diminishing stocks of whales and other prey may have pushed the megalodon to extinction three million years ago. Environmental pressures, such as sea level changes, also played a role. The extinction of the megalodon has been an enduring mystery.
Emma explains, 'With its large serrated teeth megalodon would have eaten meat - most likely whales and large fish, and probably other sharks. If you are that big you need to eat a lot of food, so large prey is required.' This would have included animals as small as dolphins and as large as humpback whales.
The title of largest land predator that ever walked on Earth goes to the Spinosaurus. This meat-eating dinosaur lived about 90-100 million years ago. It was about 60 feet long, 12 feet high, weighed at least 13 to 22 tons and had a skull roughly 6 feet long.
The megalodon had a stomach volume of almost 10,000 litres, meaning it would have been capable of eating prey up to 26 feet (8 m) long. While it would have been able to chomp up a modern Orca, this means it could not swallow a T. rex whole like in 'Meg 2: The Trench'.
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.
Megalodons are extinct. They died out about 3.5 million years ago. And scientists know this because, once again, they looked at the teeth. All sharks – including megalodons – produce and ultimately lose tens of thousands of teeth throughout their lives.
Megalodon is NOT alive today, it went extinct around 3.5 million years ago. Go to the Megalodon Shark Page to learn the real facts about the largest shark to ever live, including the actual research about it's extinction.
Climate change contributed to the megalodon's extinction. As climate change occurred around the time that the megalodon went extinct, the oceans were cooling as the Pleistocene Ice Age was starting. Sharks thrive in warmer waters, and most were unable to find suitable habitats for themselves when the earth changed.
Mature megalodons likely did not have any predators, but newly birthed and juvenile individuals may have been vulnerable to other large predatory sharks, such as great hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna mokarran), whose ranges and nurseries are thought to have overlapped with those of megalodon from the end of the Miocene and ...
With a jaw estimated to measure about 9 x 11 feet, scientists have calculated that megalodon's bite force would be about 40,000 pounds per square inch. Compare that to Tyrannosaurus rex, which had a bite force of 12,000 pounds per square inch, and it's clear you've got a mighty bite on your hands. Still not convinced?
The second biggest shark in the world is the basking shark
While they don't get quite as large as whale sharks, the largest one ever reliably measured was 12.27 metres or just over 40 feet long. This is enough to net them the title of the world's second-largest shark.
June 22 (UPI) -- Megalodons, believed to be the largest species of shark that ever lived, were big enough to eat just about any animal they wanted -- and were possibly cannibalistic -- scientists say in a study published Wednesday.
The Godzilla Shark is a unique and fascinating creature. At 6.7 feet long, this shark was one of the largest of its kind during its lifetime. By comparison, many modern sharks are much bigger. Yet this ancient shark was massive for its time.
It has been thought that megalodon became extinct around the end of the Pliocene, about 2.6 Mya; claims of Pleistocene megalodon teeth, younger than 2.6 million years old, are considered unreliable. A 2019 assessment moves the extinction date back to earlier in the Pliocene, 3.6 Mya.
The Megalodon weighs in at upwards of 50-70 tons, measuring a span of up to 60-70 feet in length. By contrast, the Blue Whale tips the scale at around 100-110 tons and tops lengths of up to 100 feet. Who Wins on Size? It's pretty obvious that the Blue Whale is the bigger apex predator in this fight.
With its 300 sharp teeth, the great white has the most powerful bite in the animal world - 18,000 Newtons (1,835 kilograms force).
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the biggest of all shark and fish species alive, growing up to 55 feet long. It populates the tropical and warm temperate waters worldwide.
A Livyatan would win a fight against a megalodon. The Livyatan has the size and speed advantage, bigger teeth, and it has endurance to last through a long fight.
Hour after hour of small bite after small bite, the orcas would slowly whittle megalodon down. Still, if there were a single mistake, megalodon would easily dispatch the orca in a single bite, but another would always be there to take its place.
The T-rex would beat a Komodo dragon in a fight using its massive size advantage and powerful bite. Although unlikely, the Komodo dragon might attempt an ambush attack if it absolutely had to fight the monstrous dinosaur. It would probably not succeed in doing much damage, though.