The Megalodon

The Megalodon holds the record for the biggest and most dangerous shark ever, as well as the largest marine predator in the history of planet Earth. The great white sharks that we have today would appear very little next to this monster. If we had to compare their teeth, the largest Megalodon teeth ever found are an impressive 19cm. On the other hand, the largest teeth of the great whites we have today is about 7.6cm.

A computer generated image showing what the Megalodon looked like.

Here's how the jaw of today's great white shark would compare to that of a megalodon!

The Megalodon was the boss of the oceans all around the world from 15.9 to 2.6 million years ago. Their teeth are found in deposits all around the world. They had 5 rows of teeth (276 teeth in total), and like nowadays' sharks, they shed their teeth. The Megalodon used to attack strong prey such as Baleen whales, using its huge teeth as tools.

We measure the Megalodon teeth along the longest edge of the tooth. Adult teeth are usually around 10cm. Only a handful of teeth measuring over 15cm were ever found.

Scientists and biologists do not know exactly why the Megalodon went extinct around 2.6 million years ago, but many attribute it to climate change and the extinction of the large whales it used to feed upon. At least we now have Megalodon fossils which enabled us to get to know about this beautiful monster and appreciate its beauty.