Current research suggests the Megalodon had a slimmer body, which could suggest it fed less frequently and dealt with competitors from the emerging excellent white shark, potentially contributing to its termination. Credit: SciTechDaily.comGigantic shark was slimmer than representations in movies.A new research study shows the Megalodon, a gigantic shark that went extinct 3.6 million years earlier, was more slim than earlier research studies suggested. This finding modifications scientists understanding of Megalodon behavior, ancient ocean life, and why the sharks went extinct.The Megalodon or megatooth shark is generally portrayed as a super-sized monster in popular culture, with recent examples in the sci-fi movies “The Meg” (2018) and “Meg 2: The Trench” (2023 ). Previous research studies presume that the shark likely reached lengths of a minimum of 50 feet and possibly as much as 65 feet.However, the Megalodon is largely known just from its teeth and vertebrae in the fossil record– a rather incomplete set of data from which to draw conclusions. Hence, the modern-day terrific white shark was typically used as a design for Megalodon bodies in previous research studies. That model led scientists to conclude that the shark was round and stocky like great whites.” Our team reexamined the fossil record, and found the Megalodon was more slim and potentially even longer than we thought. A better design may be the modern-day mako shark,” stated UCR biologist and papers very first author Phillip Sternes. “It still would have been a formidable predator at the top of the ancient marine food chain, however it would have behaved differently based on this new understanding of its body.” Study sheds brand-new light on the body type of the Megalodon, and its role in forming ancient marine life. Credit: DePaul University/Kenshu ShimadaA New Model for an Ancient PredatorFor the brand-new research study released in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica, a team of 26 researchers from all over the world, co-led by Sternes and DePaul University paleobiology teacher Kenshu Shimada, was motivated by differences in formerly approximated body lengths for the Megalodon.” It was a eureka-moment when our research study team understood the discrepancy in between 2 formerly published lengths for the very same Megalodon specimen,” stated Shimada.The group then weighed in on a new comparison of Megalodon vertebra fossils to those of living lamniform shark family members. “We determined the entire vertebral skeleton of a living terrific white shark with a CT scanner and compared that to the previous reconstruction of the Megalodon vertebral column,” Sternes said.” It was still a giant, predatory shark. However the results strongly recommend that the Megalodon was not simply a bigger variation of the modern-day great white shark.” A revised understanding of the Megalodon physique would in turn affect researchers understanding not only of the giant shark itself, however likewise of its impact on the ecology and evolution of marine communities that shaped the present-day oceans.UC Riverside biologist and paper first author Phillip Sternes holding a Megalodon tooth. Credit: Douglas Long/California Academy of SciencesImplications of a Leaner MegalodonThere is no doubt the Megalodon is among the biggest marine predators ever to have actually lived. But a slimmer and more elongated body would recommend the Megalodon likewise had a longer digestion canal. Sternes explained that in this case, the sharks may have taken pleasure in enhanced absorption of nutrients, and may not have had to eat as frequently as formerly thought.” With increased capability to absorb its food, it might have opted for longer without requiring to hunt. This indicates less predation pressure on other marine animals,” Sternes stated. “If I only need to eat one whale occasionally, whale populations would stay more steady in time.” Some shark researchers have actually theorized that a natural reduction in victim led to the extinction of Megalodons. Sternes has another theory, in part supported by the revised understanding of its shape.” I think there were a mix of elements that led to the termination, but among them may have been the introduction of the excellent white shark, which was possibly more nimble, making it an even better predator than the Megalodon,” Sternes stated. “That competition for food might have been a major factor in its death.” The research study team of shark experts from the U.S., UK, Austria, France, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, and Australia all feel that a modified understanding of ancient marine life would have a cascading result on the oceans that are still noticeable today.” Now that we understand it was a thinner shark, we need to reinvestigate its lifestyle, how it actually lived, and what caused it to go extinct,” Sternes stated. “This study represents a significant stepping stone for others to act on.” Reference: “White shark contrast exposes a slender body for the extinct megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon (Lamniformes: Otodontidae)” by Phillip C. Sternes, Patrick L. Jambura, Julia Türtscher, Jürgen Kriwet, Mikael Siversson, Iris Feichtinger, Gavin J.P. Naylor, Adam P. Summers, John G. Maisey, Taketeru Tomita, Joshua K. Moyer, Timothy E. Higham, João Paulo C.B. da Silva, Hugo Bornatowski, Douglas J. Long, Victor J. Perez, Alberto Collareta, Charlie Underwood, David J. Ward, Romain Vullo, Gerardo González-Barba, Harry M. Maisch IV, Michael L. Griffiths, Martin A. Becker, Jake J. Wood and Kenshu Shimada, January 2024, Palaeontologia Electronica.DOI: 10.26879/ 1345.
Credit: SciTechDaily.comGigantic shark was slimmer than depictions in movies.A brand-new research study shows the Megalodon, a gigantic shark that went extinct 3.6 million years ago, was more slender than earlier research studies suggested.” It was a eureka-moment when our research group understood the inconsistency in between 2 previously released lengths for the very same Megalodon specimen,” said Shimada.The group then weighed in on a new contrast of Megalodon vertebra fossils to those of living lamniform shark family members.” A revised understanding of the Megalodon body type would in turn affect scientists understanding not only of the giant shark itself, however also of its impact on the ecology and evolution of marine communities that formed the contemporary oceans.UC Riverside biologist and paper very first author Phillip Sternes holding a Megalodon tooth.” I believe there were a mix of elements that led to the termination, however one of them might have been the emergence of the great white shark, which was potentially more nimble, making it an even better predator than the Megalodon,” Sternes stated.” Reference: “White shark comparison exposes a slender body for the extinct megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon (Lamniformes: Otodontidae)” by Phillip C. Sternes, Patrick L. Jambura, Julia Türtscher, Jürgen Kriwet, Mikael Siversson, Iris Feichtinger, Gavin J.P. Naylor, Adam P. Summers, John G. Maisey, Taketeru Tomita, Joshua K. Moyer, Timothy E. Higham, João Paulo C.B. da Silva, Hugo Bornatowski, Douglas J. Long, Victor J. Perez, Alberto Collareta, Charlie Underwood, David J. Ward, Romain Vullo, Gerardo González-Barba, Harry M. Maisch IV, Michael L. Griffiths, Martin A. Becker, Jake J. Wood and Kenshu Shimada, January 2024, Palaeontologia Electronica.DOI: 10.26879/ 1345.
