Megalodon - Carcharodon megalodon - Pisces - Dinosaurs. How big was the megalodon? Giant prehistoric shark megalodon

In 1954, the Australian ship "Rachel Cohen" got up for a major overhaul in one of the docks of Adelaide. The repair began with a "spring cleaning". They undertook to clean the bottom of the ship from shells, and found 17 huge teeth stuck in the skin. Each is 8 by 10 cm.

In the entire history of the existence of the Earth, only one “fish” could boast of such teeth - megalodon. One problem: it died out 1.5 million years ago. Or not?

26.5 million years giant bloodthirsty shark, known as megalodon(Carcharodon megalodon), reigned in the oceans. Nature has never created anything more terrible. Scientists estimate that the length megalodon reached from 20 to 30 meters! And weighed from 50 to 100 tons. His favorite food was sperm whales and baleen whales, which he snacked on, as they say, at a time.

Can you imagine the size of the mouth of this monstrous fish, if a 10-meter whale was an ordinary object of hunting for it? These super predators were at the top of the food chain. And, if I may say so, they kept all aquatic inhabitants at bay.

The huge teeth that are found throughout the ocean, which indicates the incredibly wide distribution of megalodons, are triangular in shape and resemble sharks. The difference is only in scale. The tooth of the largest - the great white shark - does not exceed 6 cm. While the megalodon has the most modest "fang" reaches 10 cm, but the usual size for them is 17-18 cm.

Actually, according to these teeth, scientists were able to approximately recreate the appearance and size of the predator, because the largest individuals were female - "megalodonikhs". First, the jaw was reconstructed, and then the “figure”, taking into account the fact that the closest relative of megalodons is a large white shark. It turned out to be a kind of “big white”, only more “broad-boned”, and besides, carried away by steroids: a frightening-looking skeleton now flaunts in the Maritime Museum of Maryland (USA).

It is simply impossible to pass by and not shudder with horror. A broad skull, massive jaws and a short, blunt snout - the appearance is unattractive. As ichthyologists joke, “on the face megalodon was a pig. Next to this giant, a person feels like just a grain of sand. And from looking at a 2-meter jaw with 5 rows of teeth, it makes you shudder. Involuntarily, you rejoice that these monsters are no longer in the ocean.

But is it really not? This is just a big question.

From a geological point of view, animals are recognized as extinct if no signs of their presence are found for more than 400,000 years. However, let's not forget about the Australian ship "Rachelle Cohen": analyzes showed that the teeth found in the bottom of the ship really belonged to a megalodon. Okay, let's say it was a hoax. But what about the findings of paleontologists and ichthyologists?

The last teeth of megalodons, discovered in the vicinity of Tahiti and in our Baltic Sea, were dated almost as "youthful" - they were given 11 thousand years each. They didn't even have time to petrify properly! Feel the difference: 1.5 million - and 11 thousand years! Yes, do not forget to take into account the fact that only 10% of the oceans have been studied. So it may turn out that somewhere there - in the depths - these "charming fish" are also found.

You say that such giant sharks could not go unnoticed? Leave pride. The deep-sea shark, known as the largemouth shark, was discovered by mankind only in 1976. And then quite by accident: one individual was stuck in the anchor chain of a research vessel in the waters near the island of Oahu (Hawaii). Since then, 36 years have passed, but during all this time the bigmouth shark was seen only 25 times - and even then only in the form of corpses on the coast.

The brownie shark, also known as the goblin, discovered its presence in the oceans in 1897. And before that, it was considered long and hopelessly extinct.

And the whale shark was first discovered by people in 1828, until then remaining in happy ignorance of its existence.

In addition, nobody scanned the World Ocean. And to the coast megalodon will never come close - impressive dimensions will not allow. So this shark leads a deep-sea lifestyle. How deep water? Good question. Sperm whales, for example, the largest predatory animals known to science, are able to dive to a depth of 3 km and feel great there: they do not care about water pressure. True, they have to rise to the surface - for a breath of air. Megalodons do not need this either: gills supply them with oxygen. So it's too early, too early to cross them off the list of the living!
Meeting with "beautiful"

A weighty argument in favor of the “survivability” of megalodons is given in his book Sharks and Rays of the Seas of Australia (1963) by the famous Australian ichthyologist David George Stead.

In 1918, he worked in the civil service and was responsible for commercial fishing in the southern waters of Australia. And then he was hastily called from the port of Stevenson: local fishermen refuse to go to sea, scared to death of some huge fish - they need expert advice. Stead hastened to come. After questioning the fishermen properly, he found out the following.

Following a routine once and for all, early in the morning the lobster fishermen set out to retrieve the traps set the day before. We arrived at the place - to the island of Bruton. Divers went down under the water to attach traps to motor boats. The rest of the team quietly awaited their return. However, the divers rose immediately. In a panic, they climbed onto the decks, shouting in different voices: “ Shark! Giant shark! Let's get out of here right now!!"

And indeed, in the water surface, the fishermen saw the outlines of a huge terrible fish. Without wasting a second, they hurried to leave the terrible place. And when they came to their senses from horror, the divers said that, having descended to the bottom, they saw an incredibly large ash-white shark. She devoured the set traps with lobsters and neither anchor chains nor cables stopped her.

According to the stories of the fishermen, it turned out that the shark reached 35 meters in length. And her head was the size of the roof of a boathouse.

The ichthyologist did not immediately believe the fishermen: common sense told him that megalodon(and judging by the size of the shark, it could only be him) could not resurrect and show up in Australian waters. On the other hand, Stead realized that fishermen have no reason to lie and avoid work, because their income depends on the catch. Besides, to invent such a story, a certain amount of imagination was required. The fishermen were experienced sailors, but not dreamers.

So as a scientist, Stead was a complete fiasco: he could neither refute nor confirm the words of the lobster fishermen. For himself, the ichthyologist concluded: one cannot exclude the fact that megalodons still live in the oceans. And you know, we tend to agree with him. Who knows what it hides - is it a deep blue sea?

Steps № 22 2012

The result of the ongoing debate about whether Megalodon is alive or is it still a long historical past, today there can be an almost unequivocal answer - yes, the Megalodon shark is alive!
In addition, the opinions of scrupulous ichthyologists are increasingly inclined to the conclusion that soon a giant monster may appear on the surface in all its glory.

2014 - new facts-sensations
Every year, the "piggy bank" of meager and partly classified information about Megalodon is replenished with new discoveries in the study of its biology, and new facts of its discovery in the oceans.

Some of these episodes are filtered out at the stages of information verification, some remain inaccessible (due to various reasons, we will consider this in more detail), and some still seep into the public.

In other words, we can dispose of only a third of the data that neither the scientists themselves nor simple common sense reject.

Megalodon is alive: data from satellites
In the summer of 2014, several orbital complexes of a number of countries (which increases the chances of the veracity of the information) detected large underwater objects at shallow depths in the region of the Pacific island of Papua New Guinea.

These objects are:

They did not have dimensions and shapes corresponding to one or another underwater / surface military means;
showed little activity, sometimes completely hiding in the ocean depths;
were large for common biological forms;
for a long time they could lurk at the depths, which denies their analogy with whales.
The opinions of scientists on this matter are identical: these unusual objects in terms of body shape and behavior are sharks, but very large sharks. Not a single great white shark has yet reached a length of more than 16 meters. Namely, such "dimensional" data were recorded by instruments from space.

In addition, the place of discovery of these "super-sharks" is directly close to the Mariana Trench - the place of the alleged mysterious "registration" of Megalodon.

Megalodon discovered by submarine
Similar information was broadcast by the submarine radars of our country, Japan and China. But the object was "tracked" by sonar systems farther from the island of Papua, namely in the waters of the Philippines.

The military sailors noticed, however, that the mysterious stranger clearly "left" communication with them, also attempting to dive to very great depths.

The data on its parametric data coincided with the information of satellites, the nature of the movement corresponded to the "behavior" of a living being, not a machine, and the reaction to signals from submarines was also distinguished by the unpredictability of living biology.

The comments of experts on underwater cases of a meeting of submarines and a discovered object similar to a living Megalodon are as follows:

Sizes and shapes are quite suitable for the data of a large shark.
The non-aggressiveness of the object can be explained by a number of reasons, among which the main one is the caution of the predator.

“Yes, it is quite possible that Megalodon survived today, including thanks to such a new quality for itself as caution,” says Max Brut from the University of Florida. weakened or not hungry, but because this is a new round of his evolution.

The nature of Megalodon, of course, is being transformed under the modern conditions of ocean life. This is where the instinct of self-preservation kicks in.

Could Megalodon be alive if it remained at the same level of adaptive capabilities? No, of course not. I would not be surprised that if this super-predator is ever caught, then in its cranium we will find completely different brains of its ancient ancient relative.

You understand that the strongest survive, including if rationality is also present in his strength.

Megalodon hunting facts - reports from fishermen
Of course, Megalodon's caution does not negate its predatory behavior. It's just that this monster's aggression has become more or less targeted. We already know how much energy any attack takes from a shark, and not all of them in most cases become effective.

It is quite obvious that hunting Megalodon is also a "troublesome" matter. As scientists have calculated, a living monster needs up to 1.2 thousand kg of food.

It is clearly not easy to kill such an amount of live weight, especially in the depleted biocenosis of the modern ocean.

Source:

Source:

In 2014 and 2015, 6 cases were recorded, similar in development of events and consequences, and demonstrating the facts of attacks of a large species of sharks on ships and boats of fishermen.

What they had in common was:

Proximity of water areas - all six episodes happened in the Pacific Ocean, in its western and southern parts at great depths.
The hull of the floating facility suffered - large crevices in the bottom or huge holes in the side parts.
Attacks occurred either when a boat or ship removed gear with a catch, or when they were placed at certain points.
In all cases, the attack was accompanied by the appearance of a large shark fin above the water, strong water disturbance, and in two cases, the death of crew members.
In one case, namely the episode of August 15, 2014 in Indonesian waters, a fishing schooner of local registry was almost completely rammed by an underwater object. At the same time, 4 people from the team died.

Scientists who studied the nature and traces of these holes and teeth were also unanimous in their conclusions - they belong to a shark, a predator of very large dimensions and very heavy weight (the impact force exceeded 17 tons).

However, it was not even these facts that led the scientific community to the unequivocal conclusion that this is Megalodon. Yet another piece of evidence has been discovered that casts aside any doubt as to whether Megalodon is alive or dead for millennia...

Important natural evidence for the existence of Megalodon
The cases of death of large whales both in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans also helped to publish this unequivocal natural "argument" in favor of the living Megalodon. Military and industrial sailors several times this year stumbled upon the bodies of dead whales, near which sharks circled.
In two cases, the situation allowed for partial examination of these carcasses for the cause of death. And in these two episodes, amazing data were discovered - both animals died from bites by huge jaws.

The shape of this bite was similar to the structure of the shark's jaw, with only a slight difference.

The top third tooth was not a great white shark.

It belonged to the Megalodon shark, which was thought to be extinct!

A few years ago, US scientists made a second attempt to reconstruct the jaws of this super-shark. The first was implemented at the beginning of the last century and since then has proved its "failure" several times.

This time, the entire jaw of Megalodon was made up of real teeth that have been found all over the world. And it was the third upper tooth of his jaw that was the "main link".

In the white shark, it is located at an angle, but in Megalodon, it is at a right angle, this gives the appearance of the famous predator a different look.

Scientists have been putting together this “puzzle” of the jaws of the most ancient shark for a long time, and now this tooth is the very strong evidence that Megalodon is alive. Otherwise, whose jaw traces were found both on ships and on whale carcasses?

Traces with a "straight" third tooth are an argument of nature itself.

We expect the appearance of Megalodon in the coming years
So, 2014 and 2015 revealed to the world the secret of all the oceans - Megalodon exists, it began to manifest itself as a hunter, but a hunter of a different, more dangerous type - cautious, rational and purposeful.

We have received the real facts of his presence, we have part of the scientific research of the world's leading institutions.

Confirmation of the life of Megalodon in our modern ocean will soon not be needed at all - we will see it ourselves, we will be able to film it, to study it in laboratories.
There is not much left, nature does not stop in development, we just need to be prepared for its surprises. And it is not at all necessary to clone this shark by DNA, Megalodon is already more alive than all living sharks!

But that's why this information is hidden, what could be the reason for this concealment?

Shark Megalodon - elite prehistoric predator

It is difficult now to imagine that the waters of the World Ocean pose a threat in the form of a 20-meter dangerous predator. A terrible giant shark against all the inhabitants of the sea will always come out the winner. She has almost no enemies, she is merciless and strong.

Now it looks more like a fantasy, but some 10-15 million years ago, which is quite small for the history of the Earth, real monster sharks plied the expanses of the seas and oceans.

Megalodons, this is the name given by scientists to fossil giant sharks, amaze our imagination with their huge size and mass. It is believed that adults of these fish reached 20-25 meters in length and weighed 48 tons.

The fossilized teeth of Megalodon found by archaeologists inspire fear, because some of them reach 20 cm in length. And given that there are more than a dozen such teeth in the mouth, but the jaws themselves are 3 meters high, you think about all the power of the shark that existed in antiquity.

We have already briefly analyzed the main "parameters" of the life of Megalodon on the basis of scientific and research data that were at our disposal - nutrition, anatomy, biology, etc.

Of course, the main question about Megalodon is its localization, i.e. place of his intended residence.

Ancient sharks are activated

To begin with, let's look at the panorama of the recent discovery of ancient or rare species of sharks in the oceans.

• more and more often there is information about the capture of the most ancient goblin sharks near mainland Australia;
• scientists found 2 rarest specimens of largemouth sharks (in Japan in May 2014 and in the Philippines in January 2015);
• prehistoric frilled sharks caught off the coast of Australia in January and February.

Let us immediately note the geographic references for the appearance of individuals of these species of sharks.

Now let's get acquainted with the cases of beaching representatives of the "food attractiveness" for sharks - seals, seals, lions, dolphins and even the sharks themselves.

Several similar events took place in the first months of 2015.:

• in Australia, a flock of 51 fur seals washed ashore;
• about 200 dolphins washed ashore in New Zealand;
• in the USA (Southern California), 223 sea lions were found washed up on the coast;
• then New Zealand appears again - about 200 whales washed ashore;
• paradoxical discovery of a 4-meter great white shark on the coast of Greece.

Of course, such cases of suicide are phenomena that are periodically repeated and, in principle, are not exactly explained by scientists yet.

There is talk of mysterious diseases affecting various species of marine animals at the same time, disorientation, unknown viruses, and other speculations.

However, researchers involved in the biology of the life of Megalodons and other ancient animals can offer their own unexpected interpretation in this matter! Namely: all episodes of stranding were provoked by the activity of Megalodon!

As arguments, experts suggest paying attention to the tests taken from the affected animals. In all cases, the blood of the victims was saturated with adrenaline! Hormone of fear!

Moreover, according to the rescuers themselves, the frightened animals did not want to return to the ocean, making attempts to return to land again when they were dragged into the water during rescue operations.

By the way, there were no traces of injuries or bites on the bodies of mammals in these incidents, which suggests that Megalodon (or several of its individuals) either did not attack them at all, or killed them accurately and immediately, without giving the victim the opportunity to leave. This often happens in shark attacks, when the predator, after the first test on the tooth, either completely eats the victim, or loses interest in it.

Consequently, the flocks of these suicidal animals washed up on the shore were not even driven by the fear of becoming an object of hunting by a larger predator, but by an instinctive desire to leave the territory of its hunting at any cost.

White sharks or young megalodons? Giant sharks killed a flock of killer whales
(New Zealand)

So, back to geography. Previously, we assumed that the place of the modern existence of Megalodon sharks is the Mariana Trench, which was indicated by a number of reasons, including the peculiarities of its nutrition.

Looking at the map, we find that the Mariana Trench is surrounded by Japan, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand.

According to the localization of the appearance of ancient sharks and episodes of animal emissions, as an indirect assumption of their reaction to the appearance of a huge predator, it is this geographical contour that is the most likely place for the appearance of the prehistoric Megalodon shark.

Australia - nursery for young Megalodons

At first glance, it seems strange that Megalodon ignores nutritionally valuable seals, lions, seals, etc.

Surprisingly, this giant managed to "not leave a legacy of blood" in the ocean near its habitat, although a few cases did take place.

We know practically nothing about this great predator, and, most likely, some amazing discovery of the peculiarities of its existence awaits us again in the near future.

For analysis, let's take the life of his close relative - Carcharodon. Often in episodes of shark attacks on people, incidents occurred when the victim of the attack "got off with a fright" or very minor injuries, although she was too accessible and, according to the logic of such situations, should not have remained alive.

Then experts said that a baby shark took part in the attack, which had not yet acquired the skills of a competent attack or was just learning to hunt.

Scientists currently know the places of birth and maturation of young carcharodons, which are whole shark nurseries - water areas with relatively shallow depth and current, which are characterized by abundant biocenosis and the absence of natural enemies.

One such nursery for the great white shark is offshore in New South Wales, Australia. Regularly once a year, female white sharks appear in this area to hatch young sharks.

Perhaps the zone we have noted above just belongs to this category of kindergarten, but only for Megalodon.

Here we invite readers to turn to the map again and include in consideration one more position - the Isthmus of Panama.

It is interesting, but when the hypothesis of a manger for a historical monster was only timidly expressed, it unexpectedly for the researchers themselves found its counter confirmation. The fact is that at the bottom of Lake Gatun, in the Isthmus of Panama, significant ones were found at one time - a large number of well-preserved teeth.

Of course, the teeth of such a giant in themselves are an invaluable find, but these were remarkable for one more circumstance: the teeth belonged to cubs whose age at that time was no more than 2 years (the result of calculation by the ratio of the length of the tooth to the total length of the animal).

This means that Megalodon "organized" a nursery in this water area for young individuals a very long time ago, and the functioning of this territory, obviously, did not stop for centuries.

Watch the video "What a young Megalodon looks like":

The question arises, why does not Megalodon leave offspring in the Mariana Trench, where he lives? Does it swim up specifically for this practically in the shallow waters of coastal waters?

Scientists have yet to answer this question. In the meantime, there is an assumption that the cub of this huge shark in the first years of life still needs sunlight, which is not available at depth. And that the nutrition of this predator during adolescence should be affordable both in terms of quantity and ease of hunting.

It is the facts of fossil finds, as well as the peculiarity of the water area itself between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans (a huge shallow area that was not deep enough for the natural enemies of Megalodon, but optimally safe for its offspring) make this geographical place ideal for organizing a kindergarten there for its cubs.

Some researchers make serious assumptions that the waters of Australia will soon become an alternative to the Isthmus of Panama - the optimal climate and the availability of a large amount of easily accessible food will attract Megalodons to breed in this particular region of the oceans.

Technique to detect Megalodons in the ocean

Having come to such conclusions, scientists have noticeably approached the habitats of prehistoric giant sharks. Now it remains only to track down the female Megalodon (which is more difficult), or her offspring (which is easier, in view of their natural negligence).

Modern ocean explorers will soon be armed with a unique sound detection technology - acoustic hydrophones, which have already been tested in the Mariana Trench and have yielded amazing results in detecting huge objects there.

Especially for these purposes, the engineers of the NOAA Bureau of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research created the first hydrophone that is able to withstand the enormous pressures of the ocean depths, equipped with modern electronics, a data recording disk, a powerful amplifier and a high-capacity power source.

Now that the specific localization of not only Megalodon, but also its offspring has been revealed, the time of meeting with it, as they say, is a matter of technology.

Not everyone knows that after the disappearance of the dinosaurs, the super-predator megalodon climbed to the top of the food chain, however, he seized power over other animals not on land, but in the endless waters of the oceans.

Description of megalodon

The name of this gigantic shark that lived in the Paleogene - Neogene (and according to some data, reached the Pleistocene) is translated from Greek as "big tooth". It is believed that the megalodon kept marine life at bay for quite a long time, appearing about 28.1 million years ago and sinking into oblivion about 2.6 million years ago.

Appearance

A lifetime portrait of a megalodon (a typical cartilaginous fish devoid of bones) was recreated from its teeth, which are scattered in abundance across the ocean. In addition to teeth, the researchers found vertebrae and entire vertebral columns preserved due to the high concentration of calcium (the mineral helped the vertebrae to withstand the weight of the shark and the stress that arose from muscle efforts).

It is interesting! Before the Danish anatomist and geologist Niels Stensen, the teeth of an extinct shark were considered ordinary stones until he identified the rocky formations as megalodon teeth. It happened in the 17th century, after which Stensen was called the first paleontologist.

To begin with, a shark jaw was reconstructed (with five rows of strong teeth, whose total number reached 276), which, according to paleogenetics, was 2 meters. Then they set about the body of the megalodon, giving it the maximum dimensions, which was typical for females, and also based on the assumption that the monster was closely related to the white shark.

The restored skeleton, 11.5 m long, resembles a skeleton, sharply increased in width / length, and frightens visitors to the Maritime Museum of Maryland (USA). A wide skull, giant toothy jaws and a blunt short snout - as ichthyologists say, "the face of the megalodon was a pig." In general, a repulsive and terrifying appearance.

By the way, nowadays scientists have already moved away from the thesis about the similarity of megalodon and carcharodon (white shark) and suggest that outwardly it rather resembled a multiply enlarged sand shark. In addition, it turned out that the behavior of megalodon (due to its huge size and special ecological niche) was strikingly different from all modern sharks.

Megalodon Dimensions

Disputes about the maximum size of the superpredator are still ongoing, and a number of methods have been developed to determine its true size: someone suggests starting from the number of vertebrae, others draw a parallel between the size of the teeth and the length of the body. The triangular teeth of megalodon are still found in different parts of the world, which indicates the wide distribution of these sharks throughout the oceans.

It is interesting! Carcharodon has the most similar teeth in shape, but the teeth of its extinct relative are more massive, stronger, almost three times larger and more evenly serrated. Megalodon (unlike related species) does not have a pair of lateral teeth, which gradually disappeared from its teeth.

Megalodon was armed with the largest teeth (in comparison with other living and extinct sharks) in the entire history of the Earth. Their oblique height, or diagonal length, reached 18–19 cm, and the lowest canine grew up to 10 cm, while the tooth of a white shark (the giant of the modern shark world) does not exceed 6 cm.

Comparison and study of the remains of megalodon, consisting of fossilized vertebrae and numerous teeth, led to the idea of ​​its colossal size. Ichthyologists are sure that an adult megalodon towered up to 15–16 meters with a mass of about 47 tons. More impressive parameters are considered debatable.

Character and lifestyle

Giant fish, to which the megalodon belonged, are rarely fast swimmers - for this they do not have enough endurance and the necessary degree of metabolism. Their metabolism is slowed down, and their movement is not energetic enough: by the way, according to these indicators, the megalodon is comparable not so much with the white shark as with the whale shark. Another vulnerable spot of the superpredator is the low strength of cartilage, which is inferior in strength to bone tissue, even taking into account their increased calcification.

Megalodon simply could not lead an active lifestyle due to the fact that a huge mass of muscle tissue (musculature) was attached not to bones, but to cartilage. That is why the monster, looking for prey, preferred to sit in ambush, avoiding intense pursuit: the megalodon was hampered by low speed and a meager stamina. Now 2 methods are known, with the help of which the shark killed its victims. She chose the method, focusing on the dimensions of the gastronomic facility.

It is interesting! The first method was a crushing ram applied to small cetaceans - the megalodon attacked areas with hard bones (shoulders, upper spine, chest) to break them and injure the heart or lungs.

Having experienced a blow to vital organs, the victim quickly lost the ability to move and died from severe internal injuries. Megalodon invented the second method of attack much later, when massive cetaceans, which appeared in the Pliocene, entered the sphere of his hunting interests. Ichthyologists have found many tail vertebrae and bones from flippers belonging to large Pliocene whales, with bite marks from megalodon. These finds led to the conclusion that the superpredator first immobilized large prey by biting off / tearing off its fins or flippers, and only then finished it off completely.

Lifespan

Range, habitats

The fossil remains of megalodon told that its world population was numerous and occupied almost the entire oceans, with the exception of cold regions. According to ichthyologists, megalodon was found in temperate and subtropical waters of both hemispheres, where the water temperature fluctuated in the range of + 12 + 27 ° C.

The teeth and vertebrae of the super shark are found in different places on the globe, such as:

• North America;
• South America;
• Japan and India;
• Europe;
• Australia;
• New Zealand;
• Africa.

Megalodon teeth have been found far from the main continents - for example, in the Mariana Trench of the Pacific Ocean. And in Venezuela, super-predator teeth were found in freshwater sediments, which led to the conclusion that megalodon is adapted to life in fresh water (like a bull shark).

Megalodon Diet

Until toothed whales like killer whales appeared, the monster shark, as it should be for a super-predator, sat at the top of the food pyramid and did not limit itself in the choice of food. A wide range of living creatures was explained by the monstrous size of the megalodon, its massive jaws and huge teeth with a small cutting edge. Due to its size, the megalodon coped with such animals that no modern shark is able to overcome.

It is interesting! From the point of view of ichthyologists, megalodon, with its short jaw, was not able (unlike the giant mosasaurus) to tightly capture and effectively dismember large prey. He usually tore off fragments of the skin and superficial muscles.

It has now been established that the basic food of the megalodon was smaller sharks and turtles, whose shells responded well to the pressure of powerful jaw muscles and the impact of numerous teeth.

The diet of megalodon, along with sharks and sea turtles, included:

• bowhead whales;
• small sperm whales;
• minke whales;
• odobenocetops;
• cetoteria (baleen whales);
• porpoises and sirens;
• dolphins and pinnipeds.

Megalodon did not hesitate to attack objects from 2.5 to 7 m long, for example, primitive baleen whales, which could not resist the superpredator and did not differ in high speed to escape from it. In 2008, a team of researchers from the US and Australia determined the bite force of a megalodon using computer simulations.

The results of the calculation were recognized as stunning - the megalodon squeezed the prey 9 times stronger than any current shark, and 3 times more tangible than the combed crocodile (the holder of the current record for bite power). True, in terms of absolute bite force, Megalodon was still inferior to some extinct species, such as Deinosuchus, Hoffmann's Mosasaurus, Sarcosuchus, Purussaurus and Daspletosaurus.

natural enemies

Despite the indisputable status of a superpredator, the megalodon had serious enemies (they are also food competitors). Ichthyologists include toothed whales, more precisely, sperm whales like zygophysiters and Melville's leviathans, as well as some giant sharks, for example, Carcharocles chubutensis from the genus Carcharocles. Sperm whales and later killer whales were not afraid of adult super-sharks and often hunted juvenile megalodon.

Extinction of megalodon

The disappearance of the species from the face of the Earth is timed to coincide with the junction of the Pliocene and Pleistocene: it is believed that megalodon died out about 2.6 million years ago, and possibly much later - 1.6 million years ago.

Causes of extinction

Paleontologists still cannot accurately name the reason that became decisive for the death of the megalodon, and therefore they talk about a combination of factors (other top predators and global climate change). It is known that in the Pliocene epoch, the bottom between North and South America heaved up, and the Pacific and Atlantic oceans divided the Isthmus of Panama. Warm currents, having changed directions, could no longer deliver the necessary amount of heat to the Arctic, and the northern hemisphere cooled significantly.

This is the first negative factor that affected the way of life of megalodons, accustomed to warm waters. In the Pliocene, small whales were replaced by large ones, which preferred the cold northern climate. Populations of large whales began to migrate, swimming away to cool waters in summer, and the megalodon lost its usual prey.

Important! Around the middle of the Pliocene, without year-round access to large prey, megalodons began to starve, which provoked a surge in cannibalism, in which the young were especially affected. The second reason for the extinction of megalodon is the appearance of the ancestors of modern killer whales, toothed whales, endowed with a more developed brain and leading a collective lifestyle.

Due to their solid size and inhibited metabolism, megalodons lost out to toothed whales in terms of high-speed swimming and maneuverability. Megalodon was also vulnerable in other positions - it was not able to protect its gills, and also periodically fell into tonic immobility (like most sharks). It is not surprising that killer whales often feasted on young megalodons (hiding in coastal waters), and when united, they also killed adults. It is believed that the megalodons that lived in the southern hemisphere became the most recent extinct.

Megalodon alive?

Some cryptozoologists are sure that the monster shark could well have survived to this day. In their conclusions, they proceed from the well-known thesis: a species is classified as extinct if no signs of its stay on the planet are found for more than 400 thousand years. But how, in this case, to interpret the findings of paleontologists and ichthyologists? The "fresh" teeth of megalodons found in the Baltic Sea and near Tahiti were recognized as practically "children's" - the age of the teeth, which did not even have time to completely petrify, is 11 thousand years.

Another relatively recent surprise, dating back to 1954, is 17 monstrous teeth stuck in the hull of the Australian ship Rachel Cohen and discovered while cleaning the bottom of shells. The teeth were analyzed and the verdict was that they belong to a megalodon.

It is interesting! Skeptics call the Rachel Cohen incident a hoax. Their opponents never tire of repeating that the World Ocean has so far been studied by 5–10%, and it is impossible to completely exclude the existence of megalodon in its depths.

Adherents of the theory of the modern megalodon armed themselves with iron arguments proving the secrecy of the shark tribe. So, the world learned about the whale shark only in 1828, and only in 1897 from the depths of the oceans a goblin shark surfaced (in the literal and figurative senses), previously classified as irrevocably extinct species.

Only in 1976 did mankind become acquainted with the inhabitants of the deep sea, largemouth sharks, when one of them got stuck in an anchor chain thrown by a research vessel near about. Oahu (Hawaii). Since then, largemouth sharks have been seen no more than 30 times (usually in the form of carrion on the coast). It has not yet been possible to carry out a total scan of the World Ocean, and no one has yet set such a large-scale task for themselves. And the megalodon itself, which has adapted to deep water, will not approach the coast (because of its huge size).

The eternal rivals of the super-shark, sperm whales, have adapted to the considerable pressure of the water column and feel good, plunging 3 kilometers and occasionally floating up to take a breath of air. Megalodon, on the other hand, has (or had?) an undeniable physiological advantage - it has gills that supply the body with oxygen. The megalodon has no good reason to reveal its presence, which means that there is hope that people will still hear about it.

The most diverse names could be given to this mighty and terrible species of creatures - a super predator, an invincible horror, Scylla, Charybdis and a tyrannosaurus in one bottle ... Not a single living creature of the oceans could ever resist this greatest fish, the embodiment of the power and strength of evolution itself. Megalodon was truly the most terrifying shark in the history of the Earth, a shark, next to which the great white shark, nicknamed the "white death", looks like a pathetic herring ...

Shark megalodon in the waves of the surf

Scientists disputes around megalodon do not subside to this day - habits, habitat, date of complete extinction of this species and its causes, size of mouth and body - there are no definitive answers to all questions about megalodon to this day. It is already very difficult to determine the parameters of the species Carcharocles megalodon, if all that remains of it and has survived to this day are giant triangular teeth 17 cm long, which is five to six times larger than the teeth of the largest among the great white sharks. The mass of an adult megalodon is about 100 tons, the body length was, according to various estimates, from 16 to 30 meters - not a single sea animal, not a single fish would ever dare to compete with this creature!

Megalodon shark tooth dimensions

Big-toothed megalodon was hunted by ... who do you think? Whales and sperm whales! The ancestors of modern whales, of course, were smaller - about 10 meters, the bigtooth shark easily bit their bodies in half, broke bones with one powerful blow to the head and immobilized the victim. In an attempt to preserve their species, sperm whales and whales began to hastily modernize, grow a body and develop mass, which, however, did not help them much. For millions of years, the reign of the "Big Tooth" in the oceans of the Earth continued - what has changed, why did this giant completely die out and died out?

Megalodon hunting whales (reconstruction)

According to scientists, the species Carcharocles megalodon did not survive one of the glaciations - the whales moved to cold waters, and the megashark could not follow them, because. her body temperature depended on the temperature of the surrounding water. It turns out that megalodons died of starvation a couple of million years ago - according to a number of ichthyologists, this is nonsense. Here are the facts - when pulling a deep-sea dredge in the Pacific Ocean, two megalodons were raised on board a research vessel, which is not a sensation in itself, because. their teeth are found everywhere. But the analysis of these teeth showed that these two teeth are not millions of years old, but 24 and 11 thousand years old! It turns out that the “long-extinct” megalodons can still exist today, because the World Ocean has only been studied by 10%.

Skeptics will say that the existence of a megalodon is impossible, since a fish of this size would definitely be noticed. And what about the other three giant sharks that exist in the oceans today - whale, giant and megamouth? They are huge, the first species is 20 meters long, the second is 10, and the large-mouthed is 6 meters. So what? Do you think that these sharks were impossible not to notice? While explaining that the species of whale sharks was discovered only 200 years ago, giant sharks were discovered several decades earlier (which is why they are called "giant", although whales are much larger). But largemouth sharks were found quite by accident - one individual was stuck in the anchor target of a research vessel in the waters near the island of Oahu, Hawaii in 1976, since then only 25 individuals have been seen, and even then in a dead form on the coast.

The only thing that could make the existence of the megalodon uncomfortable was the cooling of the oceans. There are two comments here: first, whale sharks are cold-blooded, but live and feed in not warm temperate waters at all; the second - close relatives of megalodon great white sharks are partly warm-blooded, i.e. their body is able to maintain a body temperature 10 degrees higher than the temperature of the ocean. And why couldn't the megalodon get the same heating system? It would be fair to say that whale sharks do not need a higher body temperature, since their prey - plankton - will not run away from them anywhere, therefore, they simply do not need to rush. But for a shark hunting for a large, lively shark, body heat is very necessary - after all, cold muscles do not allow it to develop high speed, which means that it will not be possible to catch up with prey.

Megalodon - hunting for sperm whales

If ever a giant megalodon is discovered, it will be the biggest scientific sensation since the lobe-finned coelacanth. However, this predator has already been seen, and not so long ago - at the beginning of the last century. Next time I will tell you this story, confirmed by a famous Australian ichthyologist ...