More than a huge white shark, the megalodon (Otodus megalodon) was similar to a lemon shark (Negaprion Brevirostris) or even a great whale. An international team from the University of California-Riverside and the Depaul University, Chicago, challenge the idea we had about this prehistoric hunter who lived 15 million years ago, and offer us the new image of a species with a longer body that allowed him to move more fluently. The details of the research were published in the magazine Electronic Phaleantology.
How much did the megalodon measure?
Unlike traditional methods based on teeth size, researchers examined an almost complete spine to estimate the length of the predator body; Then they compared it with more than 100 species of living and extinct sharks. Thus they managed to determine a more accurate proportion of the head, body and tail.
According to their analysis, the size of the head and tail occupied around 16.6% and 32.6% respectively, of the total length of the bodyequivalent to 24.3 meters with a total weight of 94 tons. In addition, the body seemed to be designed to swim at cruise speed with little energy, rather than for a continuous persecution at high speed.
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Compared to white sharks (Carcharodon Carcharias), that they have a robust and torpedo -shaped body that narrows sharply towards the tail, The megalodon would have seemed more to the current lemon sharks, which maintain a cylindrical and pointed shapeallowing them to swim with greater fluidity and energy efficiency given their size.
“This study It provides the strongest analysis to date of the form and size of the megalodon body, “said Phillip Sternes, one of the study authors. Tim Higham, co -author of the study, added:” The physics of swimming establishes how fornid or elongated that it can be a massive predator. “
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Fast predator or slow hunter
After revealing the appearance of the megalodon, the researchers also tried to clarify whether it was a high -speed predator or a slower hunter. According to the data, it is an intermediate: The creature probably swam at a moderate speed, with the ability to push forward when it attacked the dam.
As the study states, given its energy size and demand, swimming at high speed would not have been efficient. This research improves our understanding of the aspect of megalodon and also provides new knowledge about how size affects movement in marine animals. “Gigantism is not only getting bigger, it’s about evolving to survive that scale. And megalodon may have been one of the most extreme examples of it,” concludes Sternes.
Article originally published in Wired Italy. Adapted by Alondra Flores.
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