What did the Otodus shark look like?
This shark is known from its fossilized teeth and vertebral centra. The teeth of this shark are large with triangular crown, smooth cutting edges, and visible cusps on the roots. Some Otodus teeth also show signs of evolving serrations.
How much did Megalodons weigh?
Studies estimate that the body mass of adult megalodons (Carcharocles megalodon) ranged from roughly 30,000 kg (about 66,000 pounds) to more than 65,000 kg (about 143,000 pounds), adult females being larger (in both length and mass) than adult males.
How old is Zygorhiza?
approximately 38 million years ago
Zygorhiza whale lived approximately 38 million years ago. Much of Mississippi was covered in water at the time. Zygorhiza competed with the largest sharks that ever lived.
How are the teeth of a Carcharodon different from a megalodon?
The teeth of C. carcharias have cloacal pores (where nerve and blood vessels enter the root) that are large and grouped, those of Megalodon are small and scattered.
What kind of shark was the megalodon shark?
Megalodon ( Carcharocles megalodon ), meaning “big tooth”, is an extinct species of shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago (mya), during the Early Miocene to the Pliocene. It was formerly thought to be a member of the family Lamnidae and a close relative of the great white shark ( Carcharodon carcharias ).
What kind of animals did the Megalodon eat?
However, they have found megalodon teeth near the remains of bitten whale bones. Researchers guess that the shark’s prey must have been large enough to sustain such immense body size. This suggests that they ate large marine mammals, like whales. They could have also eaten other sharks, and large fish.
Is the Megalodon still alive in the wild?
Is megalodon still alive? Megalodon is a prehistoric shark, which was at the top of the food chain from 28 until 1.5 million years ago, thus since the late Oligocene until early Pleistocene. Due to its gigantic size and powerful jaws it was unrivalled. So what was the cause of its extinction?
How big are the teeth of a megalodon ThoughtCo?
The teeth of this prehistoric shark were serrated, heart-shaped, and over half a foot long; by comparison, the largest teeth of a Great White Shark only measure about three inches long.
Megalodon ( Carcharocles megalodon ), meaning “big tooth”, is an extinct species of shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago (mya), during the Early Miocene to the Pliocene. It was formerly thought to be a member of the family Lamnidae and a close relative of the great white shark ( Carcharodon carcharias ).
What did megalodon teeth do to the whales?
The fossilized remains of whales with megalodon bite marks suggest that the sharks targeted vital organs. Their great bite strength and strong teeth could easily crush through skin and bone. Researchers also believed they may have rammed into their prey to crush or stun it.
How old was the Megalodon when it was extinct?
Megalodon (Carcharocles megalodon), meaning “big tooth”, is an extinct species of shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago (mya), during the Early Miocene to the Pliocene.