“Was slimmer”: scientists changed the idea of the body shape of the extinct megalodon
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Researchers suggest that ideas about the body shape of the megalodon, a type of prehistoric shark, may have been wrong.
Previously, it was believed that its proportions are similar to a great white shark. But the results of the study, published in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica, indicate that the prehistoric megalodon could have had an elongated body and be longer, writes The Guardian.
Scientists say that past reconstructions of the extinct animal may be inaccurate because they were based on the assumption that the body shape resembled a great white shark, but larger.
Instead, after taking new measurements and analyzing an incomplete set of megalodon fossil vertebrae, the researchers concluded that it looked somewhat different, specifically “it was longer and more slender.”
| Photo: JJ Giraldo/AP |
“Our study proves that the modern great white shark is not a good analogue for assessing at least certain aspects of its characteristics, including size. In fact, we need to discover at least one complete skeleton of Megalodon to be sure what its size and body shape were.” – said Professor Kenshu Shimada, paleobiologist from De Paul University in Chicago and senior author of the study.
The team of scientists notes that in the previous study, the length of the incomplete spine was recorded, which was 11.1 meters. Instead, the length of the same fossil, estimated according to the proportions of a great white shark, was 9.2 meters.
The researchers also say that there are some differences between the ratio of the length of the jaw to the vertebrae for the two species. Therefore, they concluded that modeling the megalodon’s body shape based on the proportions of the great white shark was a mistake. The analysis also shows that the prehistoric animal was more elongated.
“The elongated body indicates that Megalodon may not have been as powerful a swimmer as the modern great white shark. It may have been a slow-swimming shark with occasional ‘burst’ swimming to capture prey”– claims Shimada.
Finding out the characteristics of megalodon is important to understand the role of large carnivores in the context of the evolution of marine ecosystems and how their extinction affected the development of the modern ocean, scientists emphasize.
In a critique of the paper, Professor John Hutchinson of the Royal Veterinary College said the new study was based on comparisons with great white shark anatomy, but offered no alternative estimates of Megalodon’s size. However, this does not negate the fact that megalodon was a huge, scary shark. It is considered one of the largest ocean predators in the history of science.
It will be recalled that the remains of the “blue dragon” were found earlier in Japan. The creature was the size of a bus and was not a mammal, despite its warm blood.
Vira Shurmakevich, “UP. Life”
Read also: A 9-year-old girl in the USA found a tooth of an extinct shark
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