Megalodon shark

A giant shark that roamed the oceans millions of years ago could devour a creature the size of a killer whale in just five bites, new research suggests.

This giant shark was a trans-oceanic super-apex predator,” says Catalina Pimiento, professor at the University of Zurich and senior author of the study. A giant shark that roamed the oceans millions of years ago could devour a creature the size of a killer whale in just five bites, new research suggests.Scientists used fossil evidence to build a 3D model of the megalodon, one of the biggest predatory fish to ever live. Even other high-level predators may have been lunch meat for the megalodon, which could open its jaw to almost 6 feet (2 metres) wide, Pimiento added.

A giant shark that swam in the world's oceans millions of years ago could devour prey up to 26ft long – the size of a killer whale – in just five bites, ...

The vertebrae had been at a Belgian museum since the 1860s. The giant fish required more than 98,000 calories a day – that’s 49 times as many as a woman – and had a stomach volume of almost 10,000 litres. [Terms of use,](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/user-policies-a6184151.html) [Cookie policy](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html) and [Privacy notice.](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/privacy-policy-a6184181.html) It was a strong swimmer, with an average cruising speed higher than today’s [Privacy policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en) and [Terms of service](https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en) apply. [the study](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abm9424) in the journal Science Advances.

Researchers have created a 3D computer model of a megalodon shark based on fossilized teeth and vertebrae, giving us our best look yet at the ancient ...

The researchers think that these infrequent but massive meals could have sustained the megalodon during massive transoceanic migrations, which it would have completed in record times due to its zippy cruising speed. [calories](https://www.livescience.com/52802-what-is-a-calorie.html) every day, which is around 20 times more than a great white shark requires. [megalodon](https://www.livescience.com/63361-megalodon-facts.html) (Otodus megalodon) was the largest shark to ever swim through [Earth](https://www.livescience.com/earth.html)'s oceans. Given the size of the megalodon's massive mouth, the gigantic predator could have consumed prey this large in as few as five bites, according to the study. [elephants](https://www.livescience.com/27320-elephants.html). The 3D model revealed that the megalodon was likely around 52 feet (16 meters) long. For example, previous research suggested that the megalodon may have After working out the megalodon's size and mass, the researchers then compared it with 28 species of living sharks to estimate how quickly it could swim. The scientists then combined these data to create a digitally reconstructed 3D megalodon that researchers could use to peer into the secret lives of the giant beast. to create a rough blueprint of the megalodon's skeleton. The finds were revealed thanks to a new 3D model of the long-extinct shark, based on data collected from fossilized teeth and vertebrae, which is giving scientists the best look yet at the size, speed and diet of the infamous "superpredator." It first emerged around 23 million years ago and went extinct about 2.6 million years ago, likely [due to the emergence of great white sharks](https://www.livescience.com/great-white-sharks-megalodon-extinction).

New 3D-modelling published this week shows that the giant extinct shark, Otodus megalodon, was a true globetrotting super-predator.

[The Conversation](https://theconversation.com) under a Creative Commons licence. This suggests it could have entirely consumed the largest of living killer whales (about eight metres) in just five bites. We further determined that the Belgian specimen’s maximum gape was about 1.8 metres and that its stomach could have held 9.5 cubic metres of food. [Stephen Wroe](https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-wroe-92676), Associate Professor, [University of New England](https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-new-england-919) [recent estimates](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2019.1666840) of a mere 48 tonnes. [recently been argued](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031018216305417) that it may not have been quite the super-predator it had been cracked up to be, concluding that it concentrated on lesser prey such as seals, dolphins and small whales between around two and seven metres in length. Previous estimates of the body mass and proportions of megalodon have largely just extrapolated on data from single fossilised vertebrae, which leaves a lot of room for error. Megalodon was the largest shark that ever lived, and it was around for a long time – from about And its size really matters, because it helps us to interpret its biology – the kinds of prey an animal can kill and eat, the amount of food it needs to survive, and the speed at which it can travel. One thing we know for sure is that the megalodon was big – but just how big has remained a point of contention among scientists, because previous estimates have been effectively based on just fragmentary remains. It was capable of covering vast distances in short order, and could eat the largest of modern living super-predators, the killer whale, in five gargantuan bites. [Science Advances](https://www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/sciadv.abm9424), we show that the giant extinct shark, Otodus megalodon, was a true globetrotting super-predator.