Taking a fresh look at the fossil record, researchers are now proposing that this mega marine creature may have been killed off by none other than the modern great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias).
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.
Is the megalodon still alive? 'No. It's definitely not alive in the deep oceans, despite what the Discovery Channel has said in the past,' notes Emma. 'If an animal as big as megalodon still lived in the oceans we would know about it.'
Megalodon was first described in 1835 by Swiss-born American naturalist, geologist, and teacher Louis Agassiz, who named the species Carcharodon megalodon.
Megalodon - the biggest shark that ever lived - was killed off by the Great White, according to new research. The huge and powerful sea monster was outcompeted for resources by its smaller and nimbler 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.
The oldest megalodon fossils are fossilized teeth from around 20 million years ago during the Miocene Epoch. A child in England found a megalodon tooth on a beach and it is the oldest one ever found.
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.
Although Megalodon teeth are frequently discovered, a full megalodon jaw has never been discovered. Saltwater breaks down cartilage, so all megalodon jaws have likely dissolved.
The answer to the megalodon question is a resounding NO. Megalodon went extinct around 3.5 million years ago.
The whale shark, Rhincodon typus, is the largest fish in the world. It is found in tropical and temperate oceans, in both deep water and coastal areas.
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.
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.
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.
Did Megalodon eat dinosaurs or people? Fortunately, the Megalodon went extinct recently enough that we have excellent fossil remains to show us exactly what it ate - and its prey should not surprise you: It ate mostly large marine mammals such as whales, seals, dolphins and dugongs, and large fish and turtles.
It's thought that megalodon ate 2,500 pounds of food per day. 7. Most fish are exclusively cold-blooded, but megalodon may have been like today's great white sharks, which are considered partially warm-blooded because of the heat they generate while swimming.
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.
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.
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.
Megalodon: Hot or Cold? O. megalodon thrived during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs 23–2.5 million years ago and likely went extinct as glaciers began to dominate the planet around 2 million years ago.
The largest megalodon teeth ever found have been just over 7 inches. The size of the tooth indicates that this particular megalodon was between 45 and 50 feet long. Paleontology curator Stephen Godfrey told CNN that Molly's discovery was a "once-in-a-lifetime kind of find."
A study of the ocean giant's fossil teeth suggests it had to compete for food with another ferocious predator, the great white shark. The battle for diminishing stocks of whales and other prey may have pushed the megalodon to extinction three million years ago.
So far we've only found teeth and vertebrae of megalodons. Like other sharks, most of their skeleton is made from cartilage which doesn't preserve well in the fossil record.