November 2, 2024

From Fiction to Fact: Uncovering the Real Shape of Megalodon

Hence, the contemporary terrific white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) has actually traditionally been utilized as a design for the body kind of O. megalodon in previous studies.Insights From FossilsThe brand-new research study published in the journal “Palaeontologia Electronica,” however, lights up that O. megalodon had a body type that was more lengthened than the modern fantastic white shark. “The incredibly simple proof that O. megalodon had a more slender body than the great white shark was hidden in plain sight,” said Kenshu Shimada, DePaul University paleobiology teacher, a co-leader and the senior author of the brand-new study.A dark grey silhouette portraying the previously rebuilded Otodus megalodon body form based largely on the modern-day white shark, superimposing a light grey summary revealing the freshly interpreted body type. “It was a eureka-moment when our research study team recognized the inconsistency in between the 2 previously released lengths for the exact same Megalodon specimen,” included Shimada.A Breakthrough in Shark Paleobiology”The brand-new study highly suggests that the body kind of O. megalodon was not simply a bigger version of the contemporary terrific white shark,” kept in mind the other co-leader Phillip Sternes, who studied with Shimada and earned his masters degree from DePaul.

Hence, the modern-day excellent white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) has generally been utilized as a design for the body kind of O. megalodon in previous studies.Insights From FossilsThe brand-new study released in the journal “Palaeontologia Electronica,” however, lights up that O. megalodon had a body kind that was more lengthened than the contemporary terrific white shark. “The incredibly easy evidence that O. megalodon had a more slender body than the terrific white shark was hidden in plain sight,” stated Kenshu Shimada, DePaul University paleobiology teacher, a co-leader and the senior author of the brand-new study.A dark grey shape portraying the formerly rebuilded Otodus megalodon body kind based largely on the contemporary white shark, superimposing a light grey outline showing the recently translated body kind. “It was a eureka-moment when our research group recognized the inconsistency between the two formerly published lengths for the same Megalodon specimen,” included Shimada.A Breakthrough in Shark Paleobiology”The new research study highly recommends that the body form of O. megalodon was not merely a bigger version of the modern-day excellent white shark,” noted the other co-leader Phillip Sternes, who studied with Shimada and made his masters degree from DePaul.