Description
Miocene – 2.6 to 15 Million years
3.5 x 2 x 1 inches
Megalodon was not only the biggest and baddest prehistoric shark that ever lived, it was the largest marine predator in the history of the planet. Today’s great white sharks would be a mere bite size snack for this monster. It terrorized the diverse ocean waters around the world from 15.9 to 2.6 million years ago. This massive, extinct species of shark was estimated to grow to nearly 60 feet in length.
The largest Megalodon teeth on record reached a staggering 7.5 inches (190mm). Compare this to the largest great whites whose teeth top out around 3 inches long. Their teeth were bone crunching and flesh cutting tools which evolved for grasping powerful prey such as Baleen whales. Fossil evidence supports that Megalodon focused its attack on the hard bony parts of its prey, such as rib cages, flippers, shoulders, and spines- effectively disabling large whales and harming major organs such as the heart and lungs.
