I am puzzled since I just read some about the megalodon, or as it seems, the several, maybe more than several that used to live. Can you tell me more about these creatures?
2007-02-24 13:50:33 · 6 answers · asked by ƒσx Đιяτ-βικιŋğ ğιяι 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Mythology & Folklore
Also, I heard it was as long as 3 or 4 blue whales. How can this be if blue whales are the biggest animal that ever lived?????
2007-02-24 14:19:24 · update #1
Somathus is right. They were enormous predators, similar to the Great White Shark that we know today. However, they seem to have been about 2 or 3 times bigger than the Great White as we know it today.
An adult Great White Shark grows to an average between 13.5 and 16 feet long. Although they do get substantially bigger than that. Check out this (very old) picture of a 21 ft long Great White caught during the mid 1940's:
http://homepage.mac.com/mollet/Cc/Cc_images/CubaGW.jpg
Back to your question, the Megalodon was probably far larger than the Great White. However because their skeleton was made out of cartilage (like all sharks), and not bone, no skeletal fossils have survived. But, their teeth did, and they can measure up to more than 6 inches in length. They were, without doubt, the apex marine predators of their time.
One last word on Great White Sharks. Many people still fear these creatures, and won't put a toe into the sea because of that fear. To put your minds at ease, here is a fact:
Worldwide, over the course of the last two years, more than 800 people died as a result of their toasters malfunctioning... in that time, only one person was killed by a Great White Shark.
2007-02-24 15:09:45 · answer #1 · answered by Anthony Stark 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi Kiwi, I found this information/research on your megelodon, it's quite interesting.It has been said that the megalodon is by far the most celebrated and contentious of extinct sharks.Best known for its spectacular fossil teeth. These teeth were broadly triangular and up to 7 inches long.Now paleontologists and others alike believe that the megalodon and the modern day Great white have alot in common.Most paleontologists agree on three main points: That megalodon was a recent species, appearing in the fossil record only about 16 million yrs. and disappearing only 1.6 million yrs ago.They don't believe that the great white is a direct decendant but a close relative like an aunt or uncle...lol.Now the paleontologists believe that this creature was at least 11 feet tall and 9 feet across and 80 ft in length. (I'd hate to see this gigantic thing in the water!) If you need further info I retrieved this from www.elasmo-research.org.They were very much real and certainly more than just one! Hope this info has helped.
2007-03-03 14:14:19 · answer #2 · answered by shuggabhugga05 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The megalodon was a giant prehistoric shark that probably lived between about 16 to 1.6 million years ago, but some maintain that they went extinct only 10,000 years ago. It is considered to be the largest predatory fish to have ever lived.
The megalodon is known principally from fossil teeth and a few fossilized vertebral centra. Like other modern sharks, the skeleton of megalodon was of cartilage and not bone, resulting in the poor skeletal fossil record.
The best-educated estimates of this creature's maximum size range from 40 to 52 ft.
2007-02-24 13:57:56 · answer #3 · answered by somathus 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Take a look at The Whale Shark, that will give you some idea of its size!
2007-03-04 12:15:50 · answer #4 · answered by bernard l 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In this case, two rights do right a wrong and a curious or spurious cite.
My only addition is that I stood upright in the cast of a Meg's jaws. I am not a short man.
2007-02-24 15:30:08 · answer #5 · answered by Terry 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
megalodon was a large reptile that lived in the sea and was a carnivore. it was real as paleontologists have found fossils from it.
2007-02-24 14:01:39 · answer #6 · answered by Ryan B 1 · 0⤊ 3⤋