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Description
Say hello to the infamous 𝗠𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗻 (Otodus/Carcharocles megalodon), a huge, extinct species of shark that lived during the Miocene until the Pliocene, somewhere around 23-3+ million years ago.

This giant shark is known from fossilized teeth, poop (coprolites) and vertebra. Its size estimates vary from >50-62 feet, and its weight is estimated at around 12-60 tons… the thing that makes this difficult is that sharks are made up not of bones, but cartilage, which tends to rarely fossilize. Therefore, scientists use the meg’s teeth to estimate size.

>They were a cosmopolitan fish, with fossils known from all continents except Antarctica.

> Undoubtedly, these behemoths fed on whatever could fit in their mouths. It’s suggested that some of their favorite prey were cetaceans, particularly baleen whales, which were much smaller during the time period. This is known thanks to many whale bones discovered with cuts that matched the size of meg teeth. Other prey probably included sea turtles, seals, other sharks, fish, marine sloths, etc.

> The notion that the meg still exists... yea, no. The fact that we have gargantuan whales should tell indicate to you that they don't. Whales were able to grow to such sizes BECAUSE of the extinction of the Meg!

Description
Say hello to the infamous 𝗠𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗻 (Otodus/Carcharocles megalodon), a huge, extinct species of shark that lived during the Miocene until the Pliocene, somewhere around 23-3+ million years ago.

This giant shark is known from fossilized teeth, poop (coprolites) and vertebra. Its size estimates vary from >50-62 feet, and its weight is estimated at around 12-60 tons… the thing that makes this difficult is that sharks are made up not of bones, but cartilage, which tends to rarely fossilize. Therefore, scientists use the meg’s teeth to estimate size.

>They were a cosmopolitan fish, with fossils known from all continents except Antarctica.

> Undoubtedly, these behemoths fed on whatever could fit in their mouths. It’s suggested that some of their favorite prey were cetaceans, particularly baleen whales, which were much smaller during the time period. This is known thanks to many whale bones discovered with cuts that matched the size of meg teeth. Other prey probably included sea turtles, seals, other sharks, fish, marine sloths, etc.

> The notion that the meg still exists... yea, no. The fact that we have gargantuan whales should tell indicate to you that they don't. Whales were able to grow to such sizes BECAUSE of the extinction of the Meg!