Species in News: Megalodon

Context

  • Using fossil evidence to create a three-dimensional model, researchers have found new evidence about the life of one of the biggest predatory animals of all time  the Megalodon.

About Megalodon

  • According to the new study published in the journal Science Advances, the Megalodon could “completely ingest, and in as few as five bites,” a prey as big as the killer whale. Megalodon
  • According to the study:
    • Megalodon was bigger than a school bus at around 50 feet from nose to tail. In comparison, the great white sharks of the present can grow to a maximum length of around 15 feet. Using their digital model, the researchers have suggested that the giant transoceanic predator would have weighed around 70 tonnes — or as much as 10 elephants.
    • Roamed the oceans an estimated 23 million to 2.6 million years ago.
    • Had an average cruising speed faster than sharks today.
    • It had the ability to migrate across multiple oceans.

Reference: IE


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