Read on Twitter
Carcharocles Megalodon,
A thread.
A thread.
Megalodon, meaning 'big tooth,' was a species of the now extinct Otodontidae family of sharks, known as 'megatoothed sharks.'
It lived from the early Miocene Epoch to the Pliocene Epoch end, or 23-to-2.6 million years ago, and swam nearby all continents except Antartica.
It lived from the early Miocene Epoch to the Pliocene Epoch end, or 23-to-2.6 million years ago, and swam nearby all continents except Antartica.
At a mean length of approx. 33½ ft, larger specimens reaching 58.7 ft, argued to have possibly reached 82 ft, and weighing 30-65 metric tonnes*, the females being greater in both size & weight than males, it is the largest known shark to have ever lived.
*1 t = approx. 2205 lb
*1 t = approx. 2205 lb
Megalodon teeth are similar to Great White (Carcharodon carcharias) teeth in shape and in both being serrated, though are much larger and thicker, and possess a bourlette.
The largest extant Meg tooth is 6.9 inches in length; a typical Great White's is 2.1 inches.
The largest extant Meg tooth is 6.9 inches in length; a typical Great White's is 2.1 inches.
These large teeth meant large jaws, a 9.8 ft bite diameter.
On the subject of shark teeth, the Megalodon tooth is the state fossil of North Carolina as of 2013 - however it may also represent Georgia as the state fossil of GA is shark teeth of no specific species, since 1976.
It's thought Megalodon produced live young, though whether they were an ovoviviparous (eggs with the mother until hatching) or viviparous (fertilised embryos) is unknown; newly birthed Megalodon may have 6.6 ft lengthwise.
The Meg may have also used nurseries for their young.
The Meg may have also used nurseries for their young.
Due to their sheer size, Megalodon was an apex predator that preyed upon fish, whales, sirenians, & seals
While mature Megs likely faced no predators, juveniles may have been more vulnerable, one danger perhaps being the hammerhead whose nurseries overlapped through the Pliocene
While mature Megs likely faced no predators, juveniles may have been more vulnerable, one danger perhaps being the hammerhead whose nurseries overlapped through the Pliocene
Carcharocles Megalodon was once named Carcharodon megalodon until the 1990's, as they were believed to have a close relation with the Great White, or Carcharodon carcharias.
It's now though the similarities of the Meg & Great White are likely the resault of convergent evolution
It's now though the similarities of the Meg & Great White are likely the resault of convergent evolution
Megalodon was a great shark, butall great things must come to an end
As its primary food source, baleen whales, decreased in population, and competitors increased, such as other predatory sharks & killer whales, it's believed this shidt in the food chain lead to the Meg's demise
As its primary food source, baleen whales, decreased in population, and competitors increased, such as other predatory sharks & killer whales, it's believed this shidt in the food chain lead to the Meg's demise
sources
https://www.britannica.com/animal/megalodon/Extinction
https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/north-carolina/dinosaurs-fossils/megalodon-shark-teeth
https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/georgia/state-dinosaur-fossil/shark-tooth
https://www.britannica.com/animal/megalodon/Extinction
https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/north-carolina/dinosaurs-fossils/megalodon-shark-teeth
https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/georgia/state-dinosaur-fossil/shark-tooth
