Megalodons May Have Been Even Longer, and More Slender Than Previously Believed

Scientists behind a new study that compared the bones of a great white shark to the fossilised vertebrae of an ancient Megalodon believe that the ancient apex predators may have been even longer, and more slender than previously believed.

The Megalodon is, without question, one of the largest and most terrifying carnivores ever to roam Earth’s oceans. As evidenced by their fossilised teeth, Megalodon were truly colossal in size, and boasted a powerful bite that would have allowed them to devour a whale In just a few bites. Thankfully, the oceanic leviathans are thought to have disappeared from our planet’s waters some 3.6 million years ago. However, despite the passage of eons, their prodigious size, and generally nightmarish aspect has cemented them as an object of fascination and primal fear among many modern-day humans.

As a result, the ‘Meg’ has made repeated appearances as the antagonist of multiple monster movies - more often than not starring Jason Statham - in which the colossal danger fish takes on the appearance of an overgrown great white shark. This striking similarity is rooted at least partially in the fact that scientists cannot be completely certain as to how the Megalodon actually looked.

Like most other sharks, the megalodon's skeleton is made up largely of cartilage, which doesn't preserve particularly well in comparison to other biological materials, such as bone. The end result is that there is very little physical evidence of the ancient megapredators that once ruled over Earth’s oceans, bar their enormous teeth, and sections of spine, known as vertebrae.

Because of this, some scientists have opted to use the barrel-chested form of the great white shark - the Megalodon’s closest living ancestor - as a reference point when piecing together the physiology of the ancient beasts.

However, the results of a new study published in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica suggest that the Megalodon may have had a much leaner, elongated body type when compared to that of today’s great white shark. Furthermore, according to the authors, this physiological difference could force a change in our understanding of how the ancient predator lived, and hunted.

“Our team re-examined the fossil record, and discovered the Megalodon was more slender and possibly even longer than we thought. Therefore, a better model might be the modern mako shark,” said the study’s first author, Phillip Sternes of the University of California, Riverside. “It still would have been a formidable predator at the top of the ancient marine food chain, but it would have behaved differently based on this new understanding of its body.”

As part of the new study, a team of 26 researchers weighed and performed a CT scan that examined the complete vertebral structure of a great white shark, and compared it with a reconstruction of a Megalodon vertebral column from a specimen discovered in modern-day Belgium.Based on structural differences in the vertebrae, its overall length, and other factors, the study authors concluded that the ancient predator likely had a body form that was significantly slimmer when compared to the relatively round build of a great white. It was also probably longer than the 15 - 20 m adult size put forward in earlier studies.

If this new interpretation of the Megalodon’s form were to be correct, it could force scientists to rethink their understanding as to how the ancient predator lived. For example, the increase in size could also indicate the presence of a more expansive digestive canal, which would allow the Megalodon to extract more nutrients from its prey, and in turn require it to hunt less often. As a result Megalodon feeding would have been less disruptive to the underlying oceanic food chain than had previously been believed to be the case.

“I believe there were a combination of factors that led to the extinction, but one of them may have been the emergence of the great white shark, which was possibly more agile, making it an even better predator than the Megalodon,” explains Sternes. “That competition for food may have been a major factor in its demise.”

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer

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