Megalodon shark, Structure, Teeth and Jaws Size.

Megalodon Shark

Otodus Megalodon, also known as Megalodon. Otodus Megalodon is the scientific name of the Megalodon shark. They belong to the Cenozoic era from the Miocene epoch to the Pliocene epoch. They exist roughly between 23 million and 3.6 million years ago. They belong to an extinct family, Otodontidae. The megalodon shark is one of the largest and most powerful predators in the ocean. The first fossils of the megalodon were found in the 1600s in Europe, although at that time, they were not recognized as shark fossils. The fossils of the megalodon shark were identified scientifically in the 19th century, although the teeth had been found.

Structure.

Scientists have estimated that Megalodon grew up to about 60 feet (18 meters) in length and over 60 tons, or nearly triple that

of great white in size. Megalodon could crush bone with bite forces estimated at over 40,000 pounds per square inch, giving it the most powerful bite force in the animal kingdom. Megalodon preyed upon whales, seals, and larger fish, often slicing into flesh with its serrated teeth and biting hard enough to puncture flippers and bellies. Tooth-marked fossilized whale bones have produced much deeper tooth marks than traditional modern sharks.

It was strong enough to crush bones, and there is a fair chance it preyed upon whales, seals, and large fish while being able to slice through flesh with its serrated teeth, likely targeting the bellies and flippers of susceptible animals. Fossilized whale bones with deep tooth imprints back up the idea of the Megalodon’s hunting practices. The Megalodon had a very extensive range, considering teeth have been identified on every continent except Antarctica. This indicates the Megalodon was capable of inhabiting warm, shallow seas loaded with marine mammals. Despite the wild importance of the Megalodon in prehistoric marine habitats, the last megalodons went extinct approximately 3.6 million years ago. The extinction of the Megalodon has been partially attributed to climate change, contraction to its habitable area, decreased availability of prey species, and competition with new apex predators that evolved, like early killer whales and great whites. According to myths, maybe the Megalodon still exists in the deep ocean waters.

Megalodon Shark Teeth

The biggest proof for the Megalodon shark comes from its large fossil teeth to study. Shark teeth are made of hard dentin, like bones, which can decay or, very rarely, fossilize. Teeth are, therefore the best way to study Megalodon. Megalodon teeth are triangular, serrated, and can be over 7 inches (18 cm) long. They are the largest ever discovered for the shark species. They perfectly sliced flesh and bones to hunt massive prey, such as whales. Scientists believe a fully-grown shark may have had around 276 teeth, in five rows, that were replaced all day, like sharks today. Fossil evidence shows they were so strong that they left deep gashes in the bones of whales and seals, reinforcing their apex predator status. Teeth offer the only evidence of the size of the shark, because most of the skeleton was made of cartilage, which did not fossilize. Paleontologists can put height and width measurements of teeth in equations to estimate body length, so it is hypothesized that the shark may have been 60 feet in length. Megalodon teeth have been found in North America and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Megalodon sharks have an estimated 276 teeth in their mouth at any time. They are arranged in five rows, and sharks continuously shed and replace their teeth. throughout its life, just like today’s modern shark.

• Total teeth almost: 276

  

• Row of Teeth: 5
• Tooth size: up to 7 inches (18cm) long
• Teeth are replaced whole life almost 20,000 teeth being replaced in a lifetime.

The largest tooth found was 7.48 inches in Peru. The size of the tooth raises a lot of scientific questions about how big the megalodon was.  The size also left them questioning how many years the megalodon lived. The fossil was in great condition, which was great for the scientist to study all of the finer details.

Megalodon Jaws Size

The jaws of the Megalodon shark were one of the most powerful and fearsome structures found among any animal group. According to scientists, the jaw of a full-sized Megalodon would have an estimated jaw width of approximately 3 meters (~9-11 feet) across, wide enough for a grown adult human to stand inside of it while it would fit comfortably. Some reconstructions suggest that the mouth potentially opened more than 2.7 meters (about 9 feet) high, enough to take prey the size of dolphins or seals in just a few bites. Lined with approximately five rows of teeth, or about 250 to 270 teeth at any time, Megalodon’s teeth each grew over 7 inches long and were arranged for maximum cutting power. With an ability to bite with a force measured at over 40,000 pounds per square inch, it was capable of crushing whale bones, making it the strongest bite of any known animal, past or present. The fossil record yields whale bones with distinct bite marks from Megalodon that indicate the strength of the bite. Today, in museum exhibitions across the globe, there are life-size jaw reconstructions made from real Megalodon teeth, designed so that people can stand inside the jaws and see just how large a prehistoric Megalodon could grow. The jaws are a testament not only to the shark’s evolutionary predatory abilities, but also to how.

The jaws of the megalodon shark its massive, larger than any modern shark. The jaws of the megalodon shark were very powerful in the history of the animal kingdom. A megalodon shark would cut a whale into two pieces, including the bones.

• The width is up to 3.4 meters (11 feet)
• When jaws open, the height is around 2.7 meters (9-10) feet.
• The jaws are so big that an adult human can easily walk  through upright
• The bite force is estimated at 108,000 to 182,000 Newtons.
• That is 24,000 to 41,000 pounds of force(ibf).

The megalodon shark has the strongest bite force of other marine animal. The jaws of the megalodon shark are so large that two adult humans could easily fit inside them.