Megalodon is the largest shark in the world. Do megalodons exist? Q: And the rest of the body

The megalodon skeleton consisted of cartilage, not bones, so very few remains have survived to this day. Megalodon teeth are the largest fish teeth. Their length reached 18 cm. Among all known marine inhabitants, no one else has such huge teeth. The white shark has the most similar teeth, but they are much smaller (3 times). No complete skeleton was found, only vertebrae. The most famous find of a vertebral column belonging to a megalodon was made in Belgium in 1929.

The remains of megalodon have been found all over the globe, even in the famous Mariana Trench at a depth of more than 10 km. The ubiquity suggests that it was a super predator that lived where it wanted and was everywhere at the top of the food chain.

Megalodon teeth are so huge that for a long time they were mistaken for the remains of dragons or giant sea serpents. It was not until 1667 that the naturalist Nils Stensen suggested that the dragon's "stone tongues" were the teeth of a huge shark. The predator took its position in the scientific classification in the middle of the 19th century. under the name Carcharodon megalodon. Since the teeth of the megalodon strongly resemble those of the Great White Shark, it was assigned to one genus. Carcharodon where he remained until the mid-1960s. First, the Belgian researcher E. Casier proposed to transfer the megalodon to a separate genus Procarcharodon, and then the Soviet scientist L. Glikman transferred the predator to the genus Megaselachus. However, Glickman drew attention to the fact that megalodon teeth are of 2 types - with jagged edges and without jagged edges. “Smooth” and “serrated” teeth until 1987 moved from one genus to another, until the French scientist and ichthyologist A Capetta assigned megalodon and its closest species neighbors (with serrated edges) to the genus Carcharocles megalodon. Currently, this classification is accepted by the scientific community.

Megalodon Dimensions

Most of all, the megalodon resembled a great white shark. Since no well-preserved skeleton has been found, scientists can judge its size based on the morphology of the white shark and drawing parallels between animals. In total, there are several options for calculating the size of the megalodon. Most methods determine the length of an animal based on a calculated proportion between the predator's body and its teeth. Presumably, the body length of megalodon varied from 13 m (according to the method of J. E. Randall) to 16 m (method of Gottfried). Some scientists believe that the animal could reach even larger sizes - 25-30 m.

Body weight could reach 47 tons. This makes the megalodon the largest fish among all fish known to science.

Megalodon habits

The habits of megalodon are judged by the remains of its victims found, as well as by the habits of modern large carnivorous sharks. He hunted cetaceans, sperm whales, dolphins, porpoises, various pinnipeds. It was a superpredator, the victims of which could be any animals at all, although the size of the megalodon implies that he hunted large fish and mammals. The main diet was occupied by cetaceans - bones with traces of megalodon bites were often found among the fossil remains of whales. Determining the bite of a megalodon is not difficult - it is of huge size and with characteristic scratches left by the jagged edges of sharp teeth. Sometimes scientists find whale bones with megalodon teeth stuck in them.

Usually sharks attack their prey in vulnerable places, but megalodon, apparently, acted a little differently. The remains of some of the megalodon victims showed that the predator rammed its prey. Scientists believe that this is how he broke bones and damaged the internal organs of the victim. After that, the immobilized victim was devoured by a predator. Even if the prey of the megalodon was large, the shark always tried to first deprive it of the ability to move by biting its fins and tail, and after that it killed it and ate it.

Extinction

The reason for the extinction of the predator is not fully known. Scientists have several hypotheses for the extinction of the megalodon.

• Decrease in the temperature of the world's oceans. 15-17 million years ago, glaciation in the northern hemisphere and the blocking of the sea strait between North and South America led to a decrease in temperature on the planet. Growing glaciers also led to a drop in the water level of the world's oceans. Fossils confirm that with falling water levels and lower temperatures, the habitat of the megalodon moved to warmer regions. Breeding and feeding grounds for giant sharks were also affected.
• Hunger. By the end of the Miocene, most species of baleen whales became extinct. Namely, baleen whales were the main diet of megalodon. The surviving whale species were more adapted to the existing habitat conditions, were faster and preferred cooler waters. It was difficult for the megalodon to hunt them, and there was no suitable prey to satisfy the colossal appetite.
• Competition with predatory whales. The emergence of flocking predatory mammals that successfully competed with megalodon. Famous killer whales turned out to be more successful hunters. They were faster, they hunted all large marine animals, and they themselves were practically invulnerable due to their great speed and quick wit.

Scientists believe that all three factors led to the death of the giant. The cooling of the ocean and the lack of food played a significant role in the death of the megalodon, and against this background, the newly appeared predators finally forced out the significantly thinned ranks of megalodons.

Megalodon is the subject of much speculation that it still exists in the deepest and most remote reaches of the world's oceans. Among the inhabitants, deep-sea depressions and trenches are considered almost the official homeland of the megalodon, and at the same time other sea giants, such as dunkleosteus. "Documentary" films are shot, photographs and stories of "eyewitnesses" are published. All these materials quickly become very popular among viewers and readers. But none of the scientific institutions will ever confirm the authenticity of such "facts". Officially, this predator is considered extinct. In the entire history of mankind, the remains of a megalodon were not found, the age of which would be younger than 1.5 million years. And it's just that this shark is too big to be invisible.

Although the official position of the scientific community does not stop the "researchers". Some even consider the results of a survey among students to be a convincing reason for the existence of a megalodon.

The result of the ongoing debate about whether Megalodon is alive or is it still a long historical past, today there can be an almost unequivocal answer - yes, the Megalodon shark is alive!
In addition, the opinions of scrupulous ichthyologists are increasingly inclined to the conclusion that soon a giant monster may appear on the surface in all its glory.

2014 - new facts-sensations
Every year, the "piggy bank" of meager and partly classified information about Megalodon is replenished with new discoveries in the study of its biology, and new facts of its discovery in the oceans.

Some of these episodes are filtered out at the stages of information verification, some remain inaccessible (due to various reasons, we will consider this in more detail), and some still seep into the public.

In other words, we can dispose of only a third of the data that neither the scientists themselves nor simple common sense reject.

Megalodon is alive: data from satellites
In the summer of 2014, several orbital complexes of a number of countries (which increases the chances of the veracity of the information) detected large underwater objects at shallow depths in the region of the Pacific island of Papua New Guinea.

These objects are:

They did not have dimensions and shapes corresponding to one or another underwater / surface military means;
showed little activity, sometimes completely hiding in the ocean depths;
were large for common biological forms;
for a long time they could lurk at the depths, which denies their analogy with whales.
The opinions of scientists on this matter are identical: these unusual objects in terms of body shape and behavior are sharks, but very large sharks. Not a single great white shark has yet reached a length of more than 16 meters. Namely, such "dimensional" data were recorded by instruments from space.

In addition, the place of discovery of these "super-sharks" is directly close to the Mariana Trench - the place of the alleged mysterious "registration" of Megalodon.

Megalodon discovered by submarine
Similar information was broadcast by the submarine radars of our country, Japan and China. But the object was "tracked" by sonar systems farther from the island of Papua, namely in the waters of the Philippines.

The military sailors noticed, however, that the mysterious stranger clearly "left" communication with them, also attempting to dive to very great depths.

The data on its parametric data coincided with the information of satellites, the nature of the movement corresponded to the "behavior" of a living being, not a machine, and the reaction to signals from submarines was also distinguished by the unpredictability of living biology.

The comments of experts on underwater cases of a meeting of submarines and a discovered object similar to a living Megalodon are as follows:

Sizes and shapes are quite suitable for the data of a large shark.
The non-aggressiveness of the object can be explained by a number of reasons, among which the main one is the caution of the predator.

“Yes, it is quite possible that Megalodon survived today, including thanks to such a new quality for itself as caution,” says Max Brut from the University of Florida. weakened or not hungry, but because this is a new round of his evolution.

The nature of Megalodon, of course, is being transformed under the modern conditions of ocean life. This is where the instinct of self-preservation kicks in.

Could Megalodon be alive if it remained at the same level of adaptive capabilities? No, of course not. I would not be surprised that if this super-predator is ever caught, then in its cranium we will find completely different brains of its ancient ancient relative.

You understand that the strongest survive, including if rationality is also present in his strength.

Megalodon hunting facts - reports from fishermen
Of course, Megalodon's caution does not negate its predatory behavior. It's just that this monster's aggression has become more or less targeted. We already know how much energy any attack takes from a shark, and not all of them in most cases become effective.

It is quite obvious that hunting Megalodon is also a "troublesome" matter. As scientists have calculated, a living monster needs up to 1.2 thousand kg of food.

It is clearly not easy to kill such an amount of live weight, especially in the depleted biocenosis of the modern ocean.

A source:

A source:

In 2014 and 2015, 6 cases were recorded, similar in development of events and consequences, and demonstrating the facts of attacks of a large species of sharks on ships and boats of fishermen.

What they had in common was:

Proximity of water areas - all six episodes happened in the Pacific Ocean, in its western and southern parts at great depths.
The hull of the floating facility suffered - large crevices in the bottom or huge holes in the side parts.
Attacks occurred either when a boat or ship removed gear with a catch, or when they were placed at certain points.
In all cases, the attack was accompanied by the appearance of a large shark fin above the water, strong water disturbance, and in two cases, the death of crew members.
In one case, namely the episode of August 15, 2014 in Indonesian waters, a fishing schooner of local registry was almost completely rammed by an underwater object. At the same time, 4 people from the team died.

Scientists who studied the nature and traces of these holes and teeth were also unanimous in their conclusions - they belong to a shark, a predator of very large dimensions and very heavy weight (the impact force exceeded 17 tons).

However, it was not even these facts that led the scientific community to the unequivocal conclusion that this is Megalodon. Yet another piece of evidence has been discovered that casts aside any doubt as to whether Megalodon is alive or dead for millennia...

Important natural evidence for the existence of Megalodon
The cases of death of large whales both in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans also helped to publish this unequivocal natural "argument" in favor of the living Megalodon. Military and industrial sailors several times this year stumbled upon the bodies of dead whales, near which sharks circled.
In two cases, the situation allowed for partial examination of these carcasses for the cause of death. And in these two episodes, amazing data were discovered - both animals died from bites by huge jaws.

The shape of this bite was similar to the structure of the shark's jaw, with only a slight difference.

The top third tooth was not a great white shark.

It belonged to the Megalodon shark, which was thought to be extinct!

A few years ago, US scientists made a second attempt to reconstruct the jaws of this super-shark. The first was implemented at the beginning of the last century and since then has proved its "failure" several times.

This time, the entire jaw of Megalodon was made up of real teeth that have been found all over the world. And it was the third upper tooth of his jaw that was the "main link".

In the white shark, it is located at an angle, but in Megalodon, it is at a right angle, this gives the appearance of the famous predator a different look.

Scientists have been putting together this “puzzle” of the jaws of the most ancient shark for a long time, and now this tooth is the very strong evidence that Megalodon is alive. Otherwise, whose jaw traces were found both on ships and on whale carcasses?

Traces with a "straight" third tooth are an argument of nature itself.

We expect the appearance of Megalodon in the coming years
So, 2014 and 2015 revealed to the world the secret of all the oceans - Megalodon exists, it began to manifest itself as a hunter, but a hunter of a different, more dangerous type - cautious, rational and purposeful.

We have received the real facts of his presence, we have part of the scientific research of the world's leading institutions.

Confirmation of the life of Megalodon in our modern ocean will soon not be needed at all - we will see it ourselves, we will be able to film it, to study it in laboratories.
There is not much left, nature does not stop in development, we just need to be prepared for its surprises. And it is not at all necessary to clone this shark by DNA, Megalodon is already more alive than all living sharks!

But that's why this information is hidden, what could be the reason for this concealment?

Shark Megalodon - elite prehistoric predator

It is difficult now to imagine that the waters of the World Ocean pose a threat in the form of a 20-meter dangerous predator. A terrible giant shark against all the inhabitants of the sea will always come out the winner. She has almost no enemies, she is merciless and strong.

Now it looks more like a fantasy, but some 10-15 million years ago, which is quite small for the history of the Earth, real monster sharks plied the expanses of the seas and oceans.

Megalodons, this is the name given by scientists to fossil giant sharks, amaze our imagination with their huge size and mass. It is believed that adults of these fish reached 20-25 meters in length and weighed 48 tons.

The fossilized teeth of Megalodon found by archaeologists inspire fear, because some of them reach 20 cm in length. And given that there are more than a dozen such teeth in the mouth, but the jaws themselves are 3 meters high, you think about all the power of the shark that existed in antiquity.

MEGALODON IS ALIVE Group VK - https://vk.com/and_tv The result of the ongoing debate about whether the megalodon is alive or is it still a long historical past, today there can be an almost unequivocal answer - yes, the Megalodon shark is ALIVE! In addition, the opinions of scrupulous ichthyologists are increasingly inclined to the conclusion that soon a giant monster may appear on the surface in all its glory. Every year, the "piggy bank" of meager and partly classified information about megalodon is replenished with new discoveries in the study of its biology, and new facts of its discovery in the world's oceans. Some of these episodes are filtered out at the stages of information verification, some remain inaccessible (due to various reasons, we will consider this in more detail), and some still seep into the public. In other words, we can dispose of only a third of the data that neither the scientists themselves nor simple common sense reject. In the summer of 2014, several orbital complexes of a number of countries (which increases the chances of the veracity of the information) detected large underwater objects at shallow depths in the region of the Pacific island of Papua New Guinea. These objects: did not have the dimensions and shapes corresponding to one or another underwater/surface military means; showed little activity, sometimes completely hiding in the ocean depths; were large for common biological forms; for a long time they could lurk at the depths, which denies their analogy with whales. The opinions of scientists on this matter are identical: these unusual objects in terms of body shape and behavior are sharks, but very large sharks. Not a single great white shark has yet reached a length of more than 16 meters. Namely, such “dimensional” data were recorded by instruments from space. In addition, the place of discovery of these "super-sharks" is directly close to the Mariana Trench - the place of the supposed mysterious "registration" of the megalodon. A few years ago, US scientists made a second attempt to reconstruct the jaws of this super-shark. The first was implemented at the beginning of the last century and since then has proved its "failure" several times. This time, the entire jaw of the megalodon was made up of real teeth that have been found all over the world. And it was the third upper tooth of his jaw that was the “main link”. In Carcharodon, it is located at an angle, but in Megalodon, it is at a right angle, and this gives the appearance of a mighty predator a different look. Scientists have been putting together this “puzzle” of the jaws of the most ancient shark for a long time, and now this tooth is the very strong evidence that the megalodon is alive. Otherwise, whose jaw traces were found both on ships and on whale carcasses? Traces with a "straight" third tooth - an argument of nature itself!

In 1954, the Australian ship "Rachel Cohen" got up for a major overhaul in one of the docks of Adelaide. The repair began with a "spring cleaning". They undertook to clean the bottom of the ship from shells, and found 17 huge teeth stuck in the skin. Each is 8 by 10 cm.

In the entire history of the existence of the Earth, only one “fish” could boast of such teeth - megalodon. One problem: it died out 1.5 million years ago. Or not?

Terrible on the face, the same inside

26.5 million years giant bloodthirsty shark, known as megalodon(Carcharodon megalodon), reigned in the oceans. Nature has never created anything more terrible. Scientists estimate that the length megalodon reached from 20 to 30 meters! And weighed from 50 to 100 tons. His favorite food was sperm whales and baleen whales, which he snacked on, as they say, at a time.

Can you imagine the size of the mouth of this monstrous fish, if a 10-meter whale was an ordinary object of hunting for it? These super predators were at the top of the food chain. And, if I may say so, they kept all aquatic inhabitants at bay.

The huge teeth that are found throughout the ocean, which indicates the incredibly wide distribution of megalodons, are triangular in shape and resemble sharks. The difference is only in scale. The tooth of the largest - the great white shark - does not exceed 6 cm. While the megalodon has the most modest "fang" reaches 10 cm, but the usual size for them is 17-18 cm.

Actually, according to these teeth, scientists were able to approximately recreate the appearance and size of the predator, because the largest individuals were female - “megalodonikhs”. First, the jaw was reconstructed, and then the “figure”, taking into account the fact that the closest relative of megalodons is a large white shark. It turned out to be a kind of “big white”, only more “broad-boned”, and besides, carried away by steroids: a frightening-looking skeleton now flaunts in the Maritime Museum of Maryland (USA).

It is simply impossible to pass by and not shudder with horror. A wide skull, massive jaws and a short, blunt snout - the appearance is unattractive. As ichthyologists joke, “on the face megalodon was a pig. Next to this giant, a person feels like just a grain of sand. And from looking at a 2-meter jaw with 5 rows of teeth, it makes you shudder. Involuntarily, you rejoice that these monsters are no longer in the ocean.

But is it really not? This is just a big question.

From a geological point of view, animals are recognized as extinct if no signs of their presence are found for more than 400,000 years. However, let's not forget about the Australian ship "Rachelle Cohen": analyzes showed that the teeth found in the bottom of the ship really belonged to a megalodon. Okay, let's say it was a hoax. But what about the findings of paleontologists and ichthyologists?

The last teeth of megalodons, discovered in the vicinity of Tahiti and in our Baltic Sea, were dated almost as "youthful" - they were given 11 thousand years each. They didn't even have time to petrify properly! Feel the difference: 1.5 million - and 11 thousand years! Yes, do not forget to take into account the fact that only 10% of the oceans have been studied. So it may turn out that somewhere there - in the depths - these "charming fish" are also found.

You say that such giant sharks could not go unnoticed? Leave pride. The deep-sea shark, known as the largemouth shark, was discovered by mankind only in 1976. And then quite by accident: one individual was stuck in the anchor chain of a research vessel in the waters near the island of Oahu (Hawaii). Since then, 36 years have passed, but during all this time the bigmouth shark was seen only 25 times - and even then only in the form of corpses on the coast.

The brownie shark, also known as the goblin, discovered its presence in the oceans in 1897. And before that, it was considered long and hopelessly extinct.

And the whale shark was first discovered by people in 1828, until then remaining in happy ignorance of its existence.

In addition, nobody scanned the World Ocean. And to the coast megalodon will never come close - impressive dimensions will not allow. So this shark leads a deep-sea lifestyle. How deep water? Good question. Sperm whales, for example, the largest predatory animals known to science, are able to dive to a depth of 3 km and feel great there: they do not care about water pressure. True, they have to rise to the surface - for a breath of air. Megalodons do not need this either: gills supply them with oxygen. So it's too early, too early to cross them off the list of the living!
Meeting with "beautiful"

A weighty argument in favor of the "survivability" of megalodons is given in his book "Sharks and Rays of the Seas of Australia" (1963) by the famous Australian ichthyologist - David George Stead.

In 1918, he worked in the civil service and was responsible for commercial fishing in the southern waters of Australia. And so he was hastily called from the port of Stevenson: local fishermen refuse to go to sea, scared to death of some huge fish - they need expert advice. Stead hastened to come. After questioning the fishermen properly, he found out the following.

Following a routine once and for all, early in the morning the lobster fishermen set out to retrieve the traps set the day before. We arrived at the place - to the island of Bruton. Divers went down under the water to attach traps to motor boats. The rest of the team quietly awaited their return. However, the divers rose immediately. In a panic, they climbed onto the decks, shouting in different voices: “ Shark! Giant shark! Let's get out of here right now!!"

And indeed, in the water surface, the fishermen saw the outlines of a huge terrible fish. Without wasting a second, they hurried to leave the terrible place. And when they came to their senses from horror, the divers said that, having descended to the bottom, they saw an incredibly large ash-white shark. She devoured the set traps with lobsters and neither anchor chains nor cables stopped her.

According to the stories of the fishermen, it turned out that the shark reached 35 meters in length. And her head was the size of the roof of a boathouse.

The ichthyologist did not immediately believe the fishermen: common sense told him that megalodon(and judging by the size of the shark, it could only be him) could not resurrect and show up in Australian waters. On the other hand, Stead realized that fishermen have no reason to lie and avoid work, because their income depends on the catch. Besides, to invent such a story, a certain amount of imagination was required. The fishermen were experienced sailors, but not dreamers.

So as a scientist, Stead was a complete fiasco: he could neither refute nor confirm the words of the lobster fishermen. For himself, the ichthyologist concluded: one cannot exclude the fact that megalodons still live in the oceans. And you know, we tend to agree with him. Who knows what it hides - is it a deep blue sea?

Steps № 22 2012

Megalodon is the largest shark that ever lived on Earth, as well as the largest marine predator in the history of the planet, far exceeding the size of modern white sharks and ancient marine reptiles such as Liopleurodon and Kronosaurus. This article presents the most interesting facts about megalodon that can amaze any imagination.

1. Megalodon could grow up to 18 m in length

Due to the paucity of megalodon bones found, its exact size has been a subject of debate for a long time. Based on the size of the teeth and analogy with modern white sharks, over the past century, the estimated body length of the megalodon has varied from 12 to 30 m, but according to the latest estimates, paleontologists have come to a consensus that adults measured about 16-18 m in length and weighed 50-75 T.

2. Megalodon liked to eat whales

Megalodon's diet was in keeping with its reputation as a super predator. Throughout the Pliocene and Miocene epochs, these giant sharks' menus included prehistoric whales, dolphins, squid, fish, and even giant tortoises (whose tough shells couldn't take a 10-ton bite). Perhaps the megalodon even crossed paths with the giant prehistoric whale leviathan melville, which was not inferior in size.

3. Megalodon had the strongest bite in the history of the Earth

In 2008, a joint research team from Australia and the United States used computer simulations to calculate the bite force of a megalodon. The results can only be described as incredible: while a modern white shark clenched its jaws with a force of about 1.8 tons, megalodon victims experienced jaws with a capacity of 10.8-18.2 tons (enough to crush the skull of a prehistoric whale so as light as a grape, and much stronger than the bite of the well-known Tyrannosaurus Rex).

4. Megalodon's teeth had a slanted length of up to 19 cm

No wonder megalodon in Latin means "big tooth". These prehistoric sharks had simply giant teeth that were up to 19 cm in diagonal length (for comparison, the teeth of a great white shark are slanted about 5 cm long).

5. Megalodon before killing the victim cut off her fin

At least one computer simulation has confirmed that the hunting style of the megalodon differed from modern white sharks. While the white shark attacks the soft tissues of its prey (such as the underbelly or legs of a diver), the megalodon's teeth were ideal for biting through hard cartilage. There is also some evidence that before killing their prey, they first cut off its fins, making it impossible to swim away.

6. A possible modern descendant of the megalodon is the great white shark

The classification of the megalodon causes a lot of discussion and different points of view. Some scientists argue that the closest modern relative of the ancient giant is the white shark, which has a similar body structure and some habits. However, not all paleontologists agree with this classification, arguing that the megalodon and the great white shark acquired a striking resemblance as a result of the process of convergent evolution (the tendency of heterogeneous organisms to take on similar body shapes and behavior when developing in similar conditions. A good example of convergent evolution is the similarity of ancient dinosaurs -sauropods with modern giraffes).

7 Megalodon Was Significantly Larger Than The Largest Marine Reptiles

The aquatic environment allows top predators to grow to enormous sizes, but none were more massive than the megalodon. Some giant marine reptiles of the Mesozoic era, such as Liopleurodon and Kronosaurus, weighed about 30-40 tons, and the maximum of the modern white shark is about 3 tons. The only marine animal that exceeds 50-75 tons of megalodon is the plankton-eating blue whale, whose mass reach an incredible 200 tons.

8 Megalodon Teeth Used To Be Considered Stones

Thousands of shark teeth throughout life constantly fall out, being replaced by new ones. Given the global distribution of the megalodon (see next paragraph), its teeth have been discovered around the world centuries ago. But, it wasn't until the 17th century that a European physician named Nicholas Steno identified the strange stones as shark teeth. For this reason, some historians credit Steno with the title of the world's first paleontologist!

9 Megalodon Was Spread Around The World

Unlike some sharks and marine reptiles of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras, whose habitat was limited to the coastlines or inland rivers and lakes of some continents, the megalodon had a truly global distribution, terrorizing whales in warm ocean waters around the world. Apparently, the only thing that kept adult megalodons from approaching the coastline was their gigantic size, rendering them helpless in shallow water like 16th-century Spanish galleons.

10 Nobody Knows Why Megalodon Extinct

Megalodon was the largest, ruthless apex predator of the Pliocene and Miocene eras. Something went wrong? Perhaps these giant sharks were doomed due to global cooling as a result of the last ice age, or the gradual disappearance of giant whales, which make up the bulk of their diet. By the way, some people believe that the megalodon is still lurking in the depths of the oceans, but there is absolutely no authoritative evidence to support this theory.