Megalodon: Largest Macropredatory Shark Yet Known
So that’s why Dr. BC is in red :-)
#Otodus megalodon, a.k.a. Megalodon is the largest macropredatory #shark yet known. I have to be so specific because, technically, a whale shark and other megafilterfeeders are predators. Yes, their prey is microscopic but still lives.
Controversy has surrounded this animal almost since it was discovered. It has gone through a half dozen genus names, though Otodus seems to have won the day, as well as more length changes than a Spinosaurus body plan!
Recent papers have suggested it is 50+ feet and a ridiculous amount of tons. I figure in the next 700 days a new study arguing something different will emerge. The reason for this size plasticity and inability to agree is, in part, all we have to work with essentially our teeth.
Teeth aren’t the greatest items to use for determining length. Shark skeletons are made of cartilage and cartilage almost never preserves in the fossil record so we get what we get.
There is a specimen that has a number of vertebrae preserved, and we have some death assemblages where the teeth are essentially in place from when the animal died, even though the cartilage was lost.
Over the decades researchers have tried all manner of ways of predicting the height, length, and weight. One of the conundrums is, what is it most closely related to? Most use the great white shark but some have argued it’s closer to a mako shark. Perhaps it doesn’t look like any modern shark!
Regardless, I like this tastefully done replica I saw at Sahara Overland’s shop it because it’s “right sized” and fun sized. It doesn’t try to put eight adults in its mouth, nor does it attempt to wow with an extraordinary amount of original teeth, though I do enjoy such original teeth models a lot :-). It tastefully conveys the enormity of a giant shark. I like it so much I asked an employee if he would shoot this video and he kindly agreed.
When the gem show is in Tucson next year, be sure to swing by the fossil co-op a block from the traditional fossil co-op and check out this specimen as it should be on display. That is unless they sell it, as it is for sale. I probably should’ve grabbed the price :-).
#FossilCrates