Cooler Waters Created Super-Sized Megalodon
Megalodon professional leads the discovery of an intriguing pattern of the ancient shark.
A new research study reveals that the renowned extinct Megalodon or megatooth shark grew to larger sizes in cooler environments than in warmer areas.
Schematic drawing showing the basic body size pattern of the renowned extinct megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon, utilizing hypothetical silhouettes. Some Megalodon sites were formerly determined as possible nursery locations of the fossil shark because those sites yield smaller Megalodon teeth on average relative to other Megalodon localities. “It is still possible that O. megalodon might have made use of nursery locations to raise young sharks. Our research study shows that fossil localities consisting of smaller Megalodon teeth may instead be an item of specific sharks attaining smaller total body sizes merely as an outcome of warmer water,” stated coauthor Harry Maisch, a faculty member at Bergen Community College and Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.
DePaul University paleobiology professor Kenshu Shimada and coauthors take a restored look through time and space at the body size patterns of Otodus megalodon, the fossil shark that lived nearly around the world roughly 15 to 3.6 million years ago. The new study appears in the global journal Historical Biology.
Otodus megalodon is typically portrayed as a massive, monstrous shark in novels and films, such as the 2018 sci-fi thriller “The Meg.” In truth, this species is just understood from teeth and vertebrae in the fossil record, although it is generally accepted clinically that the species was certainly rather enormous, growing to a minimum of 50 feet (15 meters) and potentially as much as 65 feet (20 meters). The new research study re-examined published records of geographical occurrences of Megalodon teeth in addition to their approximated total body lengths.
” Our findings recommend a previously unacknowledged body size pattern for the fossil shark, especially following a geography-driven eco-friendly pattern understood as Bergmanns guideline,” said Shimada
Schematic illustration revealing the basic body size pattern of the renowned extinct megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon, utilizing theoretical shapes. Keep in mind the increase in body size towards cooler waters at higher latitudes. Credit: DePaul University/Kenshu Shimada.
Presented by a German biologist Carl Bergmann in the mid-1800s, Bergmanns guideline is a broad generalization describing that bigger animals grow in cooler environments due to the fact that their size helps them retain heat more effectively compared to animals with smaller sized bodies. “Scientists continuously search for guidelines of life that assist us anticipate natural patterns, and it seems that Bergmanns guideline used to Otodus megalodon,” kept in mind coauthor Victor Perez, a paleontologist at the Calvert Marine Museum in Maryland.
Some Megalodon sites were formerly determined as possible nursery locations of the fossil shark because those websites yield smaller sized Megalodon teeth typically relative to other Megalodon regions. Nevertheless, the new study discovered that the formerly recognized nursery areas for Megalodon lie near the equator, where water is warmer. “It is still possible that O. megalodon could have utilized nursery locations to raise young sharks. But our study shows that fossil areas including smaller sized Megalodon teeth may rather be a product of specific sharks attaining smaller general body sizes just as an outcome of warmer water,” said coauthor Harry Maisch, a professor at Bergen Community College and Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.
” The concept of this brand-new research study stemmed from casual conversation that occurred during a recent fishing trip to the Florida Keys by the lead author, his household and me, stemming from a basic concern: where do big fish live?” stated coauthor Martin Becker, a professor of ecological science at William Paterson University in New Jersey. Regardless of being initiated by this simple question, “the outcomes of this research study have crucial ramifications for understanding how contemporary environment modification is rapidly speeding up marine environment shifts to more polar latitudes in pinnacle predators such as sharks,” kept in mind coauthor Michael Griffiths and another professor of environmental science at William Paterson University.
” The main conclusion of this research study is that not all geographically different Megalodon people grew to massive sizes equally. The common concept that the species reached 18– 20 m TL need to be used mostly to populations that occupied cooler environments,” stated Shimada.
Recommendation: “Revisiting body size patterns and nursery locations of the Neogene megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon (Lamniformes: Otodontidae), exposes Bergmanns rule potentially improved its gigantism in cooler waters” by Kenshu Shimada, Harry M. Maisch IV, Victor J. Perez, Martin A. Becker and Michael L. Griffiths, 6 March 2022, Historical Biology.DOI: 10.1080/ 08912963.2022.2032024.
Funding: National Science Foundation Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology Award.