Megalodon Facts
The Megalodon is often considered as the largest predator to have graced the surface of the earth but how vast are you about the Prehistoric sharks? Get set to be enthralled by some unbelievable and mind-blowing facts about the King of the Ocean in the article below;
1. Interestingly, a Megalodon bite is so powerful that it can crush a small car.
2. It is believed that former US President Thomas Jefferson owned the tooth of a Megalodon.
3. The name Megalodon simply means “Big Tooth” of which they eventually lived up to their name.
4. Interestingly, the research of the Megalodon’s teeth led to the birth of Modern Geology in 1666.
5. They are quite old with their remains dating back to about 8 million years ago.
6. Unlike normal sharks, the Megalodon lays over a thousand eggs at once.
7. Their average life expectancy is usually between 20-40 years.
8. In terms of height, they are very gigantic in nature with an adult Megadolon Shark up to 50-60 feet long and about 50-75 tons in weight.
9. The Prehistoric Sharks are fast and excellent swimmers and move at an average speed of 18km per hour.
10. Quite fascinating to know that the young Megadolon sharks who are known as “Pups” are about 13 feet long already at birth.
11. They spare no edible creatures in the sea as they eat almost anything that crosses their path.
12. The Megalodon Shark’s teeth are about 7 inches in terms of size.
13. According to research, they are often regarded as the most powerful predator on the planet.
14. Contrary to popular belief, the Great White Shark isn’t closely related to the Megadolon as claimed after fossil evidence shows the difference between the two species.
15. The Prehistoric Sharks have average teeth of 46 with the upper jaw consisting of 24 jaws while the lower jaw consists of 22 jaws.
16. Due to their gigantic size, the Megadolon Sharks eat about a ton of food per day.
17. The Megadolon teeth are quite invaluable and very scarce and were last sold for a mammoth $50,000.
18. Their skeletons are made of Cartilage not bones.
19. They were evenly distributed across major continents in the world such as the South & North America, Africa, Europe as well as some parts of Asia and Oceania regions.
20. Competition for food was often fierce between the Megadolon Sharks and the giant Predatory Sperm Whale who are also known to prey on Pinnipeds and Whales.
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21. Research suggests that the closest relative to the Megadolon are surprisingly the descendants of the Mako Sharks who are quite smaller in size.
22. Unlike most species of fishes that are usually cold-blooded, the Megadolons are very unique in nature as they are naturally warm-blooded and can keep their bodies warm even in cold temperatures.
23. The Megadolon Shark might be the King of the ocean but they aren’t as big as the North Atlantic Blue Whale who is about 92 feet long.
24. Fossilized Whale bones have been found with bite marks that belonged to the Megadolons which shows how badly they were hunted by the gigantic creatures.
25. Research suggests that the Megalodon became extinct about 2.6 million years ago.
26. To date, the Megalodon is often considered the largest Shark to have ever lived in the Sea.
27. On average the Prehistoric Shark had about 276 teeth in total and five rows of teeth.
28. Their hunting technique varies greatly from others as they usually attack the fins of their prey before eating them.
29. The only place the Megalodon cease to exist was Antarctica due to the extreme coldness experienced in the region.
30. The scientific name for the King of the Sea is Carcharocles Megalodon.
31. Megalodon are Ovoviviparous in nature which simply means they produce their young ones via eggs that are hatched within the body of their parents.
32. It is strongly believed amongst top researchers that the extinction of the Megalodon species is due to climatic change.
33. It is believed that the head of the Megalodon is about 4.65 meters long with a dorsal fin of over 1.62meters tall.
34. The Megalodon Sharks are mostly found in warm regions with temperatures ranging between 34°F-91°F.
35. Prior to the 17th century, the Megalodon teeth were often mistaken to be dragon tongues.
36. The Apex Predators are one of the few prehistoric animals to have featured in popular fiction of films and books.
37. The Megalodon existed majorly during the Cenozoic Era which is often regarded as the evolution of mammals following the extinction of Dinosaurs.
38. The male Megalodons are usually very protective of their eggs from Predators.
39. Just like tree rings, the backbones of the Megalodon do grow rings and also increase in size with age.
40. Many researchers also suggest that lack of food sources might have as well contributed to the extinction of the Megalodon Sharks.
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