Otodus megalodonlikewise described as Carcharocles megalodonis an enormous megatooth shark that resided in the world’s oceans from 23 to 3.6 million years back.

This animal is normally depicted as a super-sized beast in pop culture, with current examples in the sci-fi movies.

Otodus megalodon is represented mostly by its massive teeth determining up to a minimum of 16 cm and perhaps as much as about 20 cm in height from Neogene marine deposits almost worldwide,” stated DePaul University’s Professor Kenshu Shimada and coworkers.

“Some vertebrae, placoid scales, and pieces of tessellated cartilage have actually likewise been reported already.”

“However, the absence of total fossil specimens has actually led to unpredictability relating to the real size of this ancient shark.”

In their research study, the authors analyzed an insufficient vertebral specimen of Otodus megalodonmainly including trunk vertebrae was 11.1 m, from the Miocene of Belgium along with specimens of 165 types of extinct and living neoselachian sharks.

“Assuming that Otodus megalodon had a body strategy constant with the huge bulk of sharks, we identified that its head length and tail length potentially inhabited about 16.6% and 32.6%, respectively, of the overall body length,” they stated.

“Because the Belgian specimen procedures 11.1 m, its head and tail were determined to be about 1.8 m and 3.6 m long, respectively, making the approximated overall length of 16.4 m for the particular Otodus megalodon person.”

“The biggest vertebra of the Belgian specimen procedures 15.5 cm in size, however putative Otodus megalodon vertebrae determining as much as 23 cm in size are reported from Denmark.”

“If the Danish vertebrae represent the biggest vertebrae in the body, that person might have determined about 24.3 m long.”

Based upon contrasts of their body part percentages, they figured out that the body type of Otodus megalodon most likely looked like ostensibly the contemporary lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostriswhich has a more slim body than the modern-day fantastic white shark.

They likewise observed that modern-day enormous sharks, such as the whale shark (Rhincodon typusand basking shark (Cetorhinus maximusin addition to lots of other massive water vertebrates like whales, have slim bodies due to the fact that big stocky bodies are hydrodynamically ineffective for swimming.

On the other hand, the excellent white shark with a stocky body that ends up being even stockier as it grows can be big however can not be enormous (no greater than 7 m) since of hydrodynamic restraints.

“Our brand-new research study has actually strengthened the concept that Otodus megalodon was not simply an enormous variation of the modern-day excellent white shark, supporting our previous research study,” stated Phillip Sternes, a teacher at SeaWorld San Diego.

“What sets our research study apart from all previous documents on body shapes and size price quotes of Otodus megalodon is making use of an entirely brand-new method that does not rely entirely on the modern-day terrific white shark,” included Jake Wood, a doctoral trainee at the Florida Atlantic University.

According to the group, a 24.3-m-long Otodus megalodon might have weighed around 94 loads, with an approximated travelling speed of 2.1-3.5 km per hour.

“The development patterns tape-recorded in the vertebral specimen from Belgium recommended that Otodus megalodon offered live birth to babies determining about 3.6-3.9 m long which embryos nurtured themselves through egg-eating habits,” the authors stated.

“Additional recently presumed development patterns in addition to the recognized fossil record of Otodus megalodon and the white shark family tree support the concept that the increase of the fantastic white shark approximately 5 million years back most likely contributed in the supreme death of Otodus megalodon due to competitors.”

“Many analyses we made are still tentative, however they are data-driven and will act as sensible referral points for future research studies on the biology of Otodus megalodon,” Professor Shimada stated.

The research study was released online in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica

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Kenshu Shimada et al2025. Reassessment of the possible size, type, weight, travelling speed, and development specifications of the extinct megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon (Lamniformes: Otodontidae), and brand-new evolutionary insights into its gigantism, biography methods, ecology, and termination. Palaeontologia Electronica 28 (1 ): a12; doi: 10.26879/ 1502