Megalodon Happy Shark Week! If you think the sharks of today pack quite the bite, just wait until yo

MegalodonHappy Shark Week! If you think the sharks of today pack quite the bite, just wait until you meet the largest shark in geologic history: Megalodon.Don’t be afraid of swimming into a Megalodon today; they roamed the oceans from approximately 23 million years ago until going extinct 2.6 million years ago. They were quite fearsome during their time, with adults reaching up to 59 feet (18 meters) in length, three times the size of the great white sharks that live today. Just like modern sharks, Megalodon was a predator, most likely surviving on a diet of ancestral fish, seals, turtles, whales, and more.The most common fossils to be found of Megalodon are its tremendous teeth (pictured). Similar to modern sharks, the majority of Megalodon’s body structure was formed of cartilage, which doesn’t preserve as well in the fossil record as bones and teeth. However, some Megalodon vertebrae have also been robust enough to fossilize, and there are coprolites (fossil droppings) attributed to this giant shark as well. With so few types of body parts in the fossil record, scientists aren’t entirely sure what Megalodon really looked like, but comparisons with modern shark bodies can give some clues. The other fossil evidence for Megalodon comes in the form of bite marks found on fossilized bones of other sea creatures.Megalodon fossils have been found in many oceanic Neogene rock units around the world, in Europe, Japan, the US, Australia, and more. Before the pioneering geologist Nicolaus Steno recognized the fossils as teeth in the 17th century, European folklore declared them to be dragon tongues. One of the most remarkable fossil sites is that of a Megalodon nursery in Panama, where newborns the size of modern great white sharks grew up in the warm waters there.So why aren’t Megalodons striking fear in the hearts of swimmers today? The extinction of the biggest shark that ever lived was likely due to a change in climate. At the end of the Pliocene, an ice age was approaching. Sea levels dropped and temperatures cooled, disrupting or eliminating Megalodon’s habitat, breeding grounds, and food supply. In addition, other species of smaller oceanic predators appeared around this time and may have outcompeted this gigantic creature. Although Megalodon is long gone now, the largest shark that ever lived has certainly left its mark on the fossil record and the imaginations of shark enthusiasts worldwide.-CeMore Information: Discovery Channel’s Sharkopedia, https://bit.ly/2k1TCJe Image: Wikimedia user Lonfat, https://bit.ly/2Od2F82 -- source link
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