To end shark week, we’re going to be talking about Megalodon. You might have heard of it, as it’s the inspiration for many movies, as well as urban legends.
Contrary to these stories, Megalodon is extinct, but they are still some of the coolest sharks to exist! Living in the Miocene to Pliocene epochs (23.03-2.58 million years ago), these giants are long gone. Their size is debatable, but most scientists place them anywhere between about 10 meters (33.5 feet) to 25 meters (82 feet). That’s even larger than the whale shark! Unlike the gentle giant whale shark, Megalodon is considered to be an apex predator. In the food web, it’s a keystone species, meaning that they were integral in the food chain, specifically as a predator keeping prey populations in check. They are thought to resemble Great White sharks, though their teeth are up to 3 times as large. In addition, Megalodon fossils have been found all over the world— in every continent except for Antarctica.
The Megalodon likely went extinct due to lack of prey. Whether that be the climate change reducing the natural populations or other animals outcompeting it for food, Megalodon slowly died out. Its large form would’ve required a lot of sustenance that the environment could no longer provide.