This is unlikely since the sand tiger shark is a carangiform swimmer which requires faster movement of the tail for propulsion through the water than the great white shark, a thunniform swimmer. Since Carcharocles is derived from Otodus, and the two had teeth that bear a close similarity to those of the sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus), megalodon may have had a build more similar to the sand tiger shark than to other sharks. Sculpture in the Museum of Evolution in Puebla, Mexico The head shape can vary between species as most of the drag-reducing adaptations are toward the tail-end of the animal. This build is common in other large aquatic animals, such as whales, tuna, and other sharks, in order to reduce drag while swimming. The tail fin would have been crescent-shaped, the anal fin and second dorsal fin would have been small, and there would have been a caudal keel present on either side of the tail fin (on the caudal peduncle). Another interpretation is that megalodon bore a similarity to the whale shark (Rhincodon typus) or the basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus). It may have had a pig-eyed appearance, in that it had small, deep-set eyes. The jaws may have been blunter and wider than the great white, and the fins would have also been similar in shape, though thicker due to its size. One interpretation on how megalodon appeared was that it was a robust-looking shark, and may have had a similar build to the great white shark. BiologyĪppearance Restoration assuming a similarity in appearance to the great white shark The shark's extinction coincides with a gigantism trend in baleen whales. A reduction in the diversity of baleen whales and a shift in their distribution toward polar regions may have reduced megalodon's primary food source. As the shark preferred warmer waters, it is thought that oceanic cooling associated with the onset of the ice ages, coupled with the lowering of sea levels and resulting loss of suitable nursery areas, may have also contributed to its decline. The animal faced competition from whale-eating cetaceans, such as Livyatan and other macroraptorial sperm whales and possibly smaller ancestral killer whales. Unlike the great white, which attacks prey from the soft underside, megalodon probably used its strong jaws to break through the chest cavity and puncture the heart and lungs of its prey. Juveniles inhabited warm coastal waters and fed on fish and small whales. It probably targeted large prey, such as whales, seals and sea turtles. The fossil record indicates that it had a cosmopolitan distribution. Megalodon probably had a major impact on the structure of marine communities. 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 108,500 to. Estimates suggest that a megalodon about 16 m long weighs up to 48 MT, 17 m long weighs up to 59 MT, and 20.3 m long (the maximum length) weighs up to 103 MT. The most recent estimate with the least error range suggests a maximum length estimate up to 20 m, although the modal lengths are estimated at 10.5 m. Scientists differ on whether it would have more closely resembled a stockier version of the great white shark, the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), the basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) or the sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus). While regarded as one of the largest and most powerful predators to have ever lived, the megalodon is only known from fragmentary remains, and its appearance and maximum size are uncertain. However, it is now classified into the extinct family Otodontidae, which diverged from the great white shark during the Early Cretaceous. It was formerly thought to be a member of the family Lamnidae and a close relative of the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). Megalodon (Otodus megalodon), meaning "big tooth", is an extinct species of mackerel shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago (Mya), from the Early Miocene to the Pliocene epochs.
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