Megalodon is a member of the extinct species of megatooth shark. It is known as the largest shark (fish) that ever lived on this planet. Fossils of megalodon have been discovered which are dated from the earlier part of the Miocene Epoch, and a small part of the Pliocene Epoch. For the uninitiated, Miocene Epoch began 23 million years ago. As for the origin of the word megalodon, it originates from a Greek word, which translates to the giant tooth. Having said that, there are several megalodon tooth fossil hunting books and collectibles that you can find on numerous online and offline markets. In this particular post, we are going to share some useful information on this fascinating creature to increase your knowledge on the same. Let’s get started!
Distribution
The fossil remains of megalodon were mostly discovered in shallow tropical and temperate sea regions. These are places encompassing the coastlines and shelf regions of all major barring the Antarctica continent. During the early and middle portions of the Miocene Epoch which is between 23 million to 5 million years ago, a majority of seaways segregated parts of North America from South America. This is what most likely facilitated the movement of one ocean basin to another. Throughout the Miocene Epoch, the distribution of the megalodon expanded in different pockets that were located in the Mediterranean, as well as Caribbean seas. During the Pliocene Epoch, the geographic range of the creature contracted heavily, and by the epoch’s end, it was extinct.
Physical Features
As we already mentioned, Megalodon was the largest known fish. It was a designation given based on discoveries of tens and hundreds of fossil teeth, along with a few vertebrae parts discovery. The tooth-shape similarities of the megalodon and the present-day great white sharks are quite fascinating. These similarities tell that these two species may be close relatives. It is also predicted that the megalodon most likely resembled the present-day white shark’s appearance to a large extent.
Experts in the field have devoted years of research and they were able to estimate the length of the body, which they claim is quite accurate. This is done by using numerous advanced statistical relationship models between the extinct creature’s teeth and the teeth of the modern-day white sharks. Along with the white shark, some other close living relatives have also been accounted for. The data shared by these experts suggest that mature megalodons had a mean length close to 10 meters, and the largest specimen discovered measures an incredible 17 meters! Some of the scientists have however claimed that the largest forms of these extinct creatures may have been up to 25 meters in length. Several credible studies suggest that the adult body mass ranged in between 30 to 65 metric tons. Also, it is predicted that the adult females were larger than the adult males.
Conclusion
We hope you found the information shared above to be useful and informative. If you are a megalodon enthusiast, you should consider investing in megalodon tooth fossil hunting books to learn more about these fascinating beings.
Author – The author is a blogger and the article is about megalodon.
