Meet The Biggest Shark In History

The Megalodon. If you want to meet the biggest shark in history, then there you have it. Megalodon is the biggest shark in history in the world. It dates back to a million years ago, wherein dinosaurs weren’t even born, and still, up to this very day, strikes fear in the people's hearts just imagining how big they are.

Do you want to know how big the Megalodon is? What do they eat? Or their actual size? In this article, we will tell you all the things you need to know about this dangerously fascinating creature of the planet. So, without further ado, grab your pen and paper and jot down all the important information with the biggest shark in the history of mankind.

Meet The Megalodon – The Biggest Shark In History

One of the earliest fossils from the megalodon species dates back to 20 to 25 million years ago. However, as this humongous creature wreaked havoc and maintained its spot as the most dominant species of the aquatic world, it didn’t last long as this mega mammoth shark was extinct 3.6 million years ago. The term megalodon means “big tooth,” as it was the only fragment found that is associated with the largest shark in the world.

The species of Megalodon wasn’t the only the biggest shark to ever exist on our planet, but it is also the largest fish to ever exist in the world, even surpassing the levels of the whale shark. To put everything in perspective, the typical megalodon shark grew almost 18 to 20 meters in adulthood, three times larger than the biggest great white ever recorded.

However, these are just mere calculations based on the size of the Megalodon’s teeth. The earliest fossil found to be that of the Megalodon’s teeth is roughly around 16 to 18 centimeters. If you compare the biggest great white shark’s teeth to that of the Megalodon, it pales in comparison as it is 3 to 5 times bigger than that of the great white shark. Judging by its teeth, the Megalodon’s primary food source tells us that it feeds on some of the world’s biggest fishes as well.

What Do Megalodons Eat?

Judging by its serrated tooth, it is thought that these mammoth creatures primarily feed on meat and are carnivorous. It is also thought that megalodons are close to the great whites and belong to the family of mackerel sharks. So, if you have large teeth, then it would require you to eat prey that are much juicier and meatier, and this would conclude that these sharks feed on big fishes such as dolphins, whales, and even some types of sharks.

Another quite true thing is that whale fossils that date back to the Megalodon’s period also contain some bite marks that come from the Megalodon’s teeth etched from the bone.

And as scientists tried to figure it out. This set of serrated teeth would require you to have an extensively big mouth. According to the fossils and various measurements, the Megalodon’s mouth can stretch up 3.4 meters wide. In return, it can swallow two human beings in a single bite.

The meg’s jaws comprise 276 teeth, and various studies have shown that it might have the single strongest bite force to ever have in the animal kingdom. Let’s put everything into perspective when it comes to bite force, the human has a bite force north of 1,317 newtons, and when compared to the bite force of the great white shark, it is deeply outclassed as it can go up to 18,216 newtons. However, when it comes to the bite force of the Megalodon, it is estimated that it has a bite power north of 108,514 newtons, quite remarkable, isn’t it?

Your Typical Shark Back In The Million Years

It is believed that megalodon sharks are cosmopolitan sharks, meaning they can be found in all tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. A testament that their fossilized teeth can be found across all tropical and subtropical waters across the globe. As we mentioned about their teeth, they can be found everywhere, on the coast of North America, and some are even found in the saltwater creeks in North Carolina.

Megalodon’s teeth are quite popular among divers and collectors. They are also often found in Morocco’s waters, some parts of Australia and some are even found off the coast of the United Kingdom.

A megalodon’s teeth are the most famous part of this fossilized extinct creature because they are impressively strong. Also, sharks are continuously producing teeth during their entire lifetime. That’s why Meg's teeth are found everywhere. In rough estimation, a shark’s set of teeth falls off from their mouth every other week and goes through 40,000 to 45,000 teeth during their lifetime. This means that it is the single-most reason the Megalodon’s shark can be found in almost all parts of the world.

Another reason why the Megalodon’s teeth are the hardest part of the meg’s skeleton. Sharks belong to elasmobranchs, which means they don’t have bones and are made up of cartilaginous tissues. That’s why a shark’s teeth are strong and hard. In humans, we too have cartilaginous tissue parts, such as our nose and ears.

A testament to how the Megalodon lived throughout the waters all over the world is that all of the Megalodon’s teeth can be found everywhere, except in Antarctica. Antarctica has one of the coldest bodies of water around the world, and it is not surprising that the meg’s teeth aren’t found there.

Wrapping Things Up

There are still a lot of things that we don’t know about the biggest shark in history. However, constant research about these extinct creatures has paved the way to get a good grasp of how these things fared during their times and how they look like. Furthermore, for sure, these sharks are truly the apex predators during their time reigned supreme for millions of years.

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