The extinct Megalodon shark may have been slimmer and longer. Image credit: Elena Regina, flickr.
A recent study concluded that the megalodon shark may have been slimmer and longer than previously thought.
Otodus megalodon is an extinct species of shark that is believed to be the largest known predator in Earth’s history.
The shark is often depicted as a giant great white shark, but this may not be true.
A study, recently published in the Palaeontologia Electronica journal, has suggested a different physique for this ancient shark.
This comes from a re-evaluation of an incomplete set of fossils from an individual megalodon shark.
“The remarkably simple evidence that O. megalodon had a more slender body than the great white shark was hidden in plain sight,” said Professor Kenshu Shimada, a paleobiologist from DePaul University and the senior author of the study.
“It was a ‘eureka-moment’ when our research team realised the discrepancy between the two previously published lengths for the same Megalodon specimen.”
Co-author Phillip Sternes said that the results “strongly suggest” the extinct animal was not a larger version of the great white shark.
They believe it would more closely resemble the body shape of the modern mako shark, and may have been “even longer” than previously thought.
The new findings may help experts uncover how the carnivore evolved and what led to its extinction.
Some scientists have criticised this study, claiming that the conclusions are overly simplistic and suffer from “circular logic”.
Since a complete skeleton of the megalodon has never been discovered, its body shape remains uncertain.
