This groundbreaking research study, which challenges standard beliefs about Megalodons swimming speed, is included in the global clinical journal, Historical Biology.
Portrayal and Perception of the Megalodon
Otodus megalodon has often been depicted as a gigantic, monstrous shark in books and films, such as the 2018 sci-fi thriller “The Meg” and the upcoming “Meg 2.” While the species was certainly enormous, the maximum approximated length is about 65 feet (20 meters).
New Evidence and Insights
The current study depends upon the discovery of minute scales, more accurately understood as placoid scales, from O. megalodon. These were discovered within rock fragments surrounding a previously recognized tooth set of this fossilized shark from Japan.
” Our big clinical findings originate from small evidence as small as grains of sand,” states Professor Shimada
Close-up view of small placoid scales of the renowned extinct megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon, compared to a tip of a 0.5-mm mechanical pencil lead on the bottom right corner. Credit: DePaul University/Kenshu Shimada.
Traditionally, O. megalodon was assumed to be an active, fast swimmer. “This led my research group to consider O. megalodon to be an typical swimmer with periodic bursts of faster swimming for victim capture,” described Shimada.
New Perspectives on Megalodons Warm-Bloodedness
The study also brings forth a brand-new paradox. Regardless of the strong assistance for local endothermy in O. megalodon, based upon another current study where Shimada had a vital function, it was uncertain how this prehistoric shark utilized the high levels of metabolic heat generated by its warm-bloodedness without being an energetic swimmer.
Upon analyzing existing literature, the scientists recognized another potential function of endothermic body physiology that had actually been overlooked in O. megalodons biological context: helping with digestion, and taking in and processing nutrients.
” It suddenly made perfect sense,” said Shimada. “Otodus megalodon need to have swallowed big pieces of food, so it is quite possible that the fossil shark achieved the gigantism to invest its endothermic metabolism to promote visceral food processing.”
Reference: “Tessellated calcified cartilage and placoid scales of the Neogene megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon (Lamniformes: Otodontidae), use brand-new insights into its biology and the advancement of regional endothermy and gigantism in the otodontid clade” by Kenshu Shimada, Yuta Yamaoka, Yukito Kurihara, Yuji Takakuwa, Harry M. Maisch IV, Martin A. Becker, Robert A. Eagle and Michael L. Griffiths, 23 June 2023, Historical Biology.DOI: 10.1080/ 08912963.2023.2211597.
Financing: National Science Foundation Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology Award to M.L.G. and M.A.B.
Prior understanding of O. megalodons biology was mostly founded on its enormous teeth and vertebrae. It was hypothesized to be partly warm-blooded or regionally endothermic– much like large contemporary predatory sharks such as the makos and excellent white sharks. Traditionally, O. megalodon was presumed to be an active, fast swimmer. The brand-new research study reveals that its small placoid scales do not have the carefully spaced ridges or keels typical of fast sharks. “This led my research group to consider O. megalodon to be an typical swimmer with periodic bursts of faster swimming for prey capture,” explained Shimada.
A ground-breaking study provides an unprecedented reinterpretation of the extinct Megalodon, recommending that this ancient shark was a sluggish swimmer that used its warm-bloodedness for effective digestion and nutrient absorption. Contrary to its portrayal as a monstrous, fast-moving predator, the research study proposes that Megalodon was an typical swimmer, based on the lack of closely-spaced ridges on its tiny placoid scales.
A recent study led by Professor Kenshu Shimada challenges the traditional view of the extinct Megalodon, suggesting it was a slow swimmer that utilized its warm-bloodedness for food digestion and nutrient absorption, adding to its huge size.
Reconsidering Megalodon: New Study Findings
An unique study divulges that the iconic and extinct Megalodon, likewise referred to as the megatooth shark, remained in reality a slow-moving animal that utilized its warm-bloodedness to assist food digestion and nutrient absorption.
Paleobiology teacher Kenshu Shimada of DePaul University, in addition to his co-authors, has provided an innovative reinterpretation of the lifestyle and biology of Otodus megalodon, the ancient shark that lived practically worldwide around 15 to 3.6 million years ago.