File:Megalodon_jaw,_Tellus_Science_Museum.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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megalodon

Also known as Carcharocles megalodon, pachiclon megalodon, Otodus megalodon, Megalodon Carcharodon

Otodus megalodon ( ; meaning "big tooth"), commonly known as megalodon, is an extinct species of giant mackerel shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago (Mya), from the Early Miocene to the Early Pliocene epochs. This prehistoric fish was once thought to be a member of the family Lamnidae and a close relative of the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), but has been reclassified into the extinct family Otodontidae, which diverged from the great white shark during the Early Cretaceous.

AI overview

Megalodon was an enormous extinct shark that roamed the oceans from about 23 to 3.6 million years ago, earning its name from its remarkably large teeth. Scientists once believed it was closely related to the modern great white shark, but have since reclassified it into its own extinct family, showing it actually diverged from great whites much earlier in evolutionary history.

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Wikidata facts

Image: Megalodon shark jaws museum of natural history 068.jpg
Length: 25

Show 5 more facts

Commons category: Megalodon
taxon name: Carcharocles megalodon
start time: 23000000-0
end time: 2600000-00
Commons gallery: Otodus megalodon

Sources (1)

wikidata.org

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~60 min read

Article

26 sections

Contents

Classification
Prescientific and early research history
Evolution
Biology
Appearance
Size
Maximum estimates
Teeth and bite force
Internal anatomy
Paleobiology
Prey relationships
Feeding strategies
Growth and reproduction
Paleoecology
Range and habitat
Locations of fossils
Competition
Extinction
Climate change
Changing ecosystem
In popular culture
See also
Notes
References
Further reading
External links

While regarded as one of the largest and most powerful predators to have ever lived, megalodon is only known from fragmentary remains, and its appearance and maximum size are uncertain. Scientists have argued whether its body form was more stocky or elongated than the modern lamniform sharks. Maximum body length estimates between based on various analyses have been proposed, though the modal lengths for individuals of all ontogenetic stages from juveniles to adults are estimated at . Their teeth were thick and robust, built for grabbing prey and breaking bone, and their large jaws could exert a bite force of up to .