When you imagine a Megalodon, you could imagine the equivalent of a giant great white shark. Images are understandable when you consider the research and almost every depiction of ancient apex predators throughout pop culture. However, last year, an international team announced a new anatomical design based on an analysis of incomplete fossilized vertebrae. According to researchers, the famous megalodon isSlender, perhaps even longer” than a general theory. Rather than a great white, the team provided a sophisticated macaw shark and provided a framework of reference.
This hypothesis has launched a fierce debate among paleontologists. Many claimed that the evidence still lacked support for the huge prehistoric Machus. Unfortunately, follow-up studies may not be satisfied with those who disagree with Mako’s ideas. According to many of the authors of the original study, megalodons may have been lean longer than they originally proposed. As for the similarities of today’s sharks, there are fewer “mako” and “lemon”.
The revised shape and size are explained in detail in a paper published in the journal on March 9th Palaeontologia Electronica. After comparing parts of the megalodon spine with more than 100 living organisms and extinct shark species, researchers now estimate that the megalodon may have been topped with about 80 feet long or about two school buses. For reference, the main megalodon theory makes them 50-65 feet long, 53-115 tons. Based on their conclusions, even newborn megalodons are quite a living creature, and are thought to be as large as the white of modern adults.
“It is entirely possible that the Megalodon puppy had already defeated a marine mammal right after it was born,” argued in the accompanying statement, Philip Stahnes, co-author of both papers. Sternes also claims in his latest study that it “provides the most robust analysis of megalodon’s body size and shape.”
“It wasn’t like an oversized, great white shark, but it was actually like a giant lemon shark with a slender, elongated body,” he said. “Its shape makes much more sense to move water efficiently.”
The bulky, torpedo-like frame of the Great White shark is perfect for fast bursts, but the lemon shark has evolved for energy-efficient, sustainable ocean cruising. This concept of evolutionary efficiency also influenced team alternative theories. Tim Hyam, research co-author and biologist at the University of California Riverside, provided Olympic swimmers as comparisons.
“When you swim, you lead with your head because it’s more efficient than leading with your stomach,” he explained in a statement. “Likewise, evolution moves mostly towards efficiency.”
If there is a place where Team Lemon (formerly Team Mako) and Team Great White find common ground, it is the speed of the Megalodon. The authors of this study can attack with quick bursts while not a fast chaser or a slow, systematic hunter, but suggest a balance in which sharks are generally swimming at a gentle pace.
“Tigerism isn’t just about getting bigger, it’s about evolving the right body to survive on that scale,” Starnes said. “And Megalodon may have been one of the most extreme examples of that.”
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